Traditional Zamorana Flour is a Guarantee Mark that is produced by mixing different types of flour. Both its production and packaging take place in the province of Zamora (Castile and León). During the flour production process, the wheat germ is often removed during the refining stage to prevent rancidity. Wheat germ is an industrial by-product derived from wheat processing; it is the embryo of the grain. This product is a valuable source of nutrients and compounds that are beneficial to health. The high production of this cereal makes the germ an available and sustainable by-product, but its use is limited due to the rapid deterioration of its lipids. The aim of our work was to study the changes that occur in the techno-functional properties of the germ when thermal stabilisation is applied to wheat germ and to evaluate how this affects its quality.
The results obtained showed that heat treatment significantly affected the techno-functional properties, as improved swelling capacity and emulsifying capacity were observed after treatment. This extends the shelf life of this by-product and, in turn, improves its potential for use in the agri-food industry.
These results were presented in poster format at the National Congress on Food Science, Technology and Engineering (CESIA2024) held in Barcelona from 2 to 4 April 2024.
