Study of the temperature effect on the formation of wheat gluten network: Influence on mechanical properties and protein solubility

Modifications of mechanical properties of wheat dough during thermal treatm ents depend mainly on the capacity of wheat gluten proteins to establish in tra- and intermolecular interactions when subjected to high-temperature pro cessing. The present study investigates the effect of thermal treatments on the mechanical properties and protein solubility of wheat gluten-based net work. The increase in treatment temperatures (from 80 to 135 degrees C) ind uces an increase in mechanical resistance of the gluten network (tensile st rength increases from 0.26 to 2.04 MPa) and a decrease in deformability (el ongation decreases from 468 to 236%). The increase in temperature (from 80 to 135 degrees C) also induces a very strong reduction of protein solubilit y in 2% SDS (from 68 to 0%) that could be correlated to the mechanical chan ges observed. It was concluded that the modifications of the wheat gluten n etwork properties seem to depend mainly on the temperature level, as temper atures > 108-116 degrees C allow activation of thermosetting reactions.