THE STRUCTURE OF THE GLUTEN NETWORK IN DOUGH - A STUDY USING ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

The structure of the gluten protein network found in wheat flour dough was studied by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Thi s technique allows the gluten to be studied in its natural hydrated st ate, without undergoing any drying or coating. Under these conditions, no visible network was found, at least at the resolution of the micro scope. However, samples of gluten that had been dehydrated harshly, an d then slowly rehydrated under observation, did exhibit a network stru cture reminiscent of that seen by previous workers, which disappeared upon hydration. Subsequent moderate dehydration did not lead to a retu rn to a network structure. These results suggest that the gluten netwo rk at the mesoscopic level is an artefact of severe dehydration, as op posed to the intrinsic structure. The true gluten network therefore ex ists at the molecular level, below the resolution of the ESEM. (C) 199 8 Academic Press.