The modification of wheat gluten and its application in flour

Wheat gluten is a low-cost, high-quality plant protein. However, it has poor solubility, and how to apply it in food should be explored. Ultra-high-pressure (UHP) technology is one of the most popular non-thermal food processing technologies. UHP, as a physical modification method, possesses great potential in food processing. In this experiment, the wheat gluten was modified by UHP to enhance its solubility. Additionally, single-factor and response surface methods were adopted to optimize the UHP modification process of wheat gluten. Moreover, the influence of modified wheat gluten on the quality of flour products was investigated.

The optimal solubility of wheat gluten was 0.651 mg mL^-1 when the treatment time was 13 min, the pressure was 398 MPa, and the temperature was 19 °C. With increasing proportion of wheat gluten (0-50 g kg^-1), the wet gluten content, farinograph index, tensile energy, and noodle water absorption of the samples were considerably improved. Meanwhile, the effect of adding modified wheat gluten at the same ratio was more significant.

Based on the changes in various indicators, the research results indicate that the modified wheat gluten improved the quality and taste of flour products in comparison to the unmodified wheat gluten. The quality of the noodles was best when the proportion of modified wheat gluten added was 20 g kg^-1. This study provides an effective reference for the flour products industry to achieve efficient and green quality upgrading. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.