Effect of Chlorella pyrenoidosa powder on rheological properties and fermentation characteristics of dough

Chlorella pyrenoidosa is naturally rich in comprehensive nutrients, and Chlorella foods are produced by its excellent source of nutrition. Therefore, Chlorella foods are more and more widely used in flour food applications. In this study, C. pyrenoidosa powder was added to the flour to study its influence on the quality parameters and rheological properties of the dough. After adding C. pyrenoidosa powder to flour, the ash, crude protein content of flour and damaged starch showed an upward trend. The gluten index decreased significantly with the increase of C. pyrenoidosa powder. The pasting properties, stretching properties, and fermentation properties of the dough showed significant changes with the addition of C. pyrenoidosa powder. Adding an appropriate amount of C. pyrenoidosa powder to flour could improve the pasting and rheological properties of flour. However, when the amount of C. pyrenoidosa powder exceeds 1%, it had a positive impact on fermentation characteristics of dough. Practical applications Chlorella pyrenoidosa is a high-quality natural single-cell protein source. Compared with other plant protein sources, the protein content of C. pyrenoidosa can reach 50%–65%, and has a short growth cycle. The influence of C. pyrenoidosa powder on rheological properties and fermentation characteristics of dough was evaluated. This provides a theoretical basis for the application of C. pyrenoidosa powder in flour foods, such as bread, Chinese bread, etc.