Rheological characterization and constitutive modeling of bread dough

Bread dough (a flour–water system) has been rheologically characterized using a parallel-plate, an extensional, and a capillary rheometer at room temperature. Based on the linear and nonlinear viscoelastic and viscoplastic data, two constitutive equations have been applied, namely a viscoplastic Herschel–Bulkley model and a viscoelastoplastic K–BKZ model with a yield stress. For cases where time effects are unimportant, the viscoplastic Herschel–Bulkley model can be used. For cases where transient effects are important, it is more appropriate to use the K-BKZ model with the addition of a yield stress. Finally, the wall slip behavior of dough was studied in capillary flow, and an appropriate slip law was formulated. These models characterize the rheological behavior of bread dough and constitute the basic ingredients for flow simulation of dough processing, such as extrusion, calendering, and rolling.