Gluten protein composition in several fractions obtained by shear induced separation of wheat flour

Recently, it was found that applying curvilinear shear flow in a cone-cone shearing device to wheat flour dough induces separation, resulting in a gluten-enriched fraction in the apex of the cone and gluten-depleted fraction at the outer part. This article describes whether fractionation of the various proteineous components occurs during and after separation of Soissons wheat flour. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and size-exclusion high performance liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC) were found to be suitable techniques for this. It is concluded that all protein fractions migrate to the center of the cone as a result of which the composition of the gluten-enriched fraction remains rather similar to that in the original flour. However, the larger glutenin polymer fraction migrated faster, as a result of which the concentration of large polymers was increased with a factor 2.4 compared to that of Soissons flour. The concentration of monomers in the gluten-enriched fraction was decreased to 70% of the original concentration in the original wheat flour.