# Rheological Approaches of Wheat Flour Dough Enriched with Germinated Soybean and Lentil
## 4 Discussion  
### Effects of SGF and LGF on Falling Number and Dough Rheology  
The rheological properties of dough could provide information about its behavior during mixing, extension, and fermentation, underlying also the influence of the ingredients added to the chemical composition that can inhibit or promote molecular interactions in the dough matrix [44]. The falling number is a measure of the \(\alpha\)-amylase activity of flour and could be defined as the time necessary to stir and to allow the viscometer stirrer to fall an established distance through the aqueous flour gel undergoing liquefaction [43]. The decrease of falling number values with increased LGF and SGF addition indicated an increase of the \(\alpha\)-amylase activity which could be related to the intake of calcium that stabilizes \(\alpha\)-amylase [45]. Furthermore, these changes could be due to the enhanced activities of endogenous amylases found in the germinated legume flours which can promptly denature starch grains during heating along with wheat flour amylases, explaining the decrease in falling number values. Water absorption was expressed as the quantity of water necessary to center the highest part of the mixing curve on the arbitrary 500 BU (Brabender units) [46]. The addition of SGF and LGF caused a reduction of water absorption probably due to the germ enzyme activities on starch grains, causing their hydrolyzation to dextrins which presents low water binding capacity and/or to the proteins de-polymerization as a result of the intense protease activity in germinated flours, similar findings were reported by [PERSON] et al. [46] and by [PERSON] et al. [47]. Water absorption decrease could be related to the lower falling number values since it is known that high \(\alpha\)-amylase activity could give lower water absorption [48]. The decrease in water absorption could be due to protein de-polymerization as a consequence of the intense protease activity in germinated wheat [48]. Dough kneading tolerance showed significant decreases (\(p<0.05\)) as the addition level of LGF was higher, similar results being reported by [PERSON] et al. [49] for Egyptian Balady Bread and biscuits supplemented with germinated legume seeds flours. Dough kneading tolerance increased with increases of SGF up to 10%. Shorter stability of the wheat flour supplemented with germinated soy flour was found by [PERSON] [28], while [PERSON] et al. [50] reported dough stability prolongation for the wheat flour with different doses of germinated pea flour added. The decrease of kneading tolerance can be caused by peptidase formed during germination which determines the advanced disruption of the protein network. Kneading tolerance reduction showed a weakening of the gluten matrix structure that could be attributed to a noticeable incompatibility between the protein spectrum of legume flours and wheat gluten protein [51]. It is supposed that with the increase of germinated legumes quantity in the composite flour, the energy required for the optimal development of dough consistency raised, which was related  
Figure 7: Microstructure taken by EFLM of wheat dough: (**A**) control sample and (**B**) optimal sample. Red is protein and green are starch granules. to an increased mechanical agitation need, caused by the non-gluten proteins from the dough system [52]. Dough consistency increases proportionally to the LGF amounts and could be explained by the chemical composition of LGF [14], these results underlying their positive effects on dough rheological properties and confirming the possibility to improve low-protein wheat flours for breadmaking. Similar results were reported by [PERSON] et al. [53] for wheat flour enriched with chickpea. The presence of fiber and proteins of germinated legume flours could lead to more intense interactions with water which will contribute to the formation of a more consistent gluten network [54]. Dough consistency changes could be related to the hydrolysis products resulting from germination [55].