Influence of Flour Particle Size on Quality of Gluten-Free Rice Cakes

There is a growing interest in developing gluten-free bakery products in recent time. In cake making, gluten network formation is not essential, but hardly any information exists about the influence of the gluten-free flour characteristics affecting the final cake product. This study analyses the influence of two different rice cultivars (short and long) with different flour particle size in batter characteristics (specific volume, viscosity and internal structure) and in sponge and layer cake formulas (volume, shape, texture and colour). During starch gelatinization, the finest flours (median particle size finer than 100 mu m) increased their viscosity and reached the peak viscosity (RVA) later than the coarsest flours. Moreover, the finest flours gave batters with lower specific volumes but with an air distribution in smaller and uniform bubbles in both formulas. These flours also produced higher volume and lower firmness in sponge cakes and greater symmetry index both in sponge and layer cakes. The rice type also influenced batter and cakes characteristics but in a lesser extent. The different results obtained depending on the rice flour particle size, type flour and cake formulation indicate the need to define them both in industrial specifications and in research studies.