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Wheat protein composition and properties of wheat glutenin in relation to breadmaking functionality
Wim S Veraverbeke1, Jan A Delcour
1Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium. wim.veraverbeke@agr.kuleuven.ac.be
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
|June 13, 2002
Summary
Wheat
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Biochemistry
- Plant Science
Background:
- Wheat's unique breadmaking quality stems from gluten proteins.
- Gliadin proteins are viscous, while glutenin proteins are elastic.
- Glutenin's elasticity arises from its polymeric structure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the structural features of glutenin subunits.
- To evaluate hypotheses on glutenin structure and size distribution.
- To discuss how glutenin composition impacts breadmaking quality.
Main Methods:
- Review of structural features of glutenin subunits.
- Evaluation of current insights into glutenin size distribution.
- Discussion of glutenin composition's influence on quality.
Main Results:
- Glutenin is a heterogeneous polymer of high- and low-molecular-weight subunits linked by disulfide bonds.
- Variations in glutenin quantity and quality significantly affect breadmaking performance.
- Glutenin quality is influenced by its structure, size distribution, and subunit composition.
Conclusions:
- Glutenin's polymeric nature is key to wheat's elasticity.
- Understanding glutenin variations is crucial for optimizing breadmaking.
- Further research into other polymeric proteins in wheat may be warranted.