Dynamic Study on Water State and Water Migration during Gluten-Starch Model Dough Development under Different Gluten...

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Material Science

Background:

• Dough quality is intrinsically linked to mixing processes.
• Gluten protein content is a key determinant of dough properties and water behavior.
• Understanding water migration during dough development is essential for optimizing food processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of varying gluten protein contents (GPC) on dough farinograph parameters.
• To analyze water migration dynamics within dough models with different GPCs.
• To establish a theoretical foundation for dough processing optimization.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of compound flour with controlled gluten protein contents (10-26%, w/w).
• Dough farinograph testing to assess water absorption and dough strength.
• Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) to quantify water migration.
• Microstructure analysis to evaluate gluten network integrity.

Main Results:

• Increased GPC enhanced water absorption and dough strength.
• Higher GPC promoted the binding of strongly bound water and the transformation of weakly bound water.
• Extreme GPC levels (10% and 26%) led to free water release due to gluten network damage.
• Changes in protein secondary structures correlated with weakly bound water migration.

Conclusions:

• Weakly bound water plays a critical role in dough development.
• Gluten protein content significantly modulates water migration and dough properties.
• These findings offer a theoretical basis for optimizing dough processing through GPC control.