Influence of intercropping in bread quality and processability

Abstract

The necessity toward more sustainable agricultural systems requires novel strategies to ease the transition from traditional practices, in order to reduce environmental impact, but without compromising food quality and processing. Intercropping, the simultaneous cultivation of two or more species, has emerged as a promising alternative to monoculture, particularly through cereal-legume combinations, as it provides a better synergy, e.g. greater nutritional bioavailability. This thesis evaluated the influence of wheat-legume intercropping on flour composition, hydration properties and rheological behaviour of the doughs, bread quality and extrusion performance. Chemical analyses showed that pea flours contained more ash, fat and protein, while wheat flours were richer in starch. No major compositional differences were found between purecropped (PC) and intercropped (IC) wheat, apart from minor protein variations. Hydration and Rapid Visco Analysis analyses confirmed similar gelatinization and pasting profiles for IC and PC flours, both outperforming pea flours. Rheological tests highlighted stronger doughs in refined wheat (W700) compared to weaker wholegrain doughs, yet IC and PC behaved equivalently. Breadmaking and extrusion trials further demonstrated no significant differences between IC and PC. Overall, the intercropping strategy showed to maintain wheat flour quality and technological performance while supporting a more sustainable cultivation practice. By delivering comparable bread quality and processability to monoculture wheat, cereal-legume intercropping represents a viable and environmentally advantageous strategy to align food production with the goals of resilient and sustainable agri-food systems.

Date of Award	24 Oct 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Henry Jäger (Supervisor)