Gluten Conformation at Different Temperatures and Additive Treatments

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Biochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Gluten's secondary structure is crucial for dough properties.
• Understanding how temperature and additives affect gluten is key for food processing.
• Ascorbic acid (AA), diacetyl tartaric acid ester of monoglycerides (DATEM), and dithiothreitol (DTT) are common food additives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of temperature and specific additives on gluten secondary structure.
• To analyze changes in gluten matrix formation and rheological properties.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of chemometrics in quantifying gluten alterations.

Main Methods:

• Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to analyze secondary structure.
• Gluten was treated with AA, DATEM, and DTT at temperatures of 25, 45, and 65 °C.
• Rheological properties were measured using % creep strain.
• Chemometric methods were employed for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Heating gluten with additives at 65 °C significantly altered secondary structures compared to native gluten.
• Increased content of random coils, α-helices, and β-sheets was observed.
• Decreased β-turns and antiparallel β-sheets indicated a shift towards a more stable conformation.
• Gluten deformation increased with all additives during heating.
• Chemometrics successfully quantified alterations in gluten polymerization and matrix formation.

Conclusions:

• Temperature and additive combinations significantly modify gluten's secondary structure and matrix formation.
• The observed structural changes lead to a more stable gluten conformation.
• Rheological properties are directly influenced by these structural modifications.
• Chemometric analysis provides a reliable method for assessing heat-induced gluten alterations in the presence of additives.