Effect of composite-enzymatically modified Ganoderma lucidum powder on rheological and structural properties of soft...

Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal-edible fungus commonly used to fortify cereal-based products, but direct addition of its powder to soft wheat flour dough may disrupt gluten development and processing performance. This study examined how composite-enzyme treatment alters the physicochemical and structural properties of G. lucidum powder (GLP), and how enzyme-modified GLP, added at 10-50 g kg^-1 on a flour basis, affects dough rheology and structure and the quality of GLP-enriched cookies.

A substitution level of 30 g kg^-1 yielded the most favourable dough behaviour, with higher viscoelasticity, a more integrated gluten-starch network and a 46.6% increase in disulfide bond content relative to the control, indicating stronger gluten crosslinking. Low-field NMR showed more bound water and less free water, while differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction indicated delayed gelatinisation and a 26.1% reduction in relative starch crystallinity. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed a denser and more continuous gluten-starch structure at 30 g kg^-1 GLP. In cookies, GLP had little effect on diameter or thickness but clearly increased hardness and shifted colour from light yellowish to dark reddish brown (lower L*, higher a* and b*).

Overall, composite-enzymatically modified GLP can serve as a structure-oriented ingredient for soft wheat flour dough and GLP-enriched cookies, providing a feasible route to structurally stable functional bakery products. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.