Protein aggregation characteristics in wheat flour maturation treated by different methods

What is it about?

The effects of flour treatment methods, including with glucose oxidase (GOX), lipoxygenase (LOX), xylanase and heating for 1 h at 37 °C (HEAT), on protein aggregation during the flour maturation were investigated. GOX has strong oxidising effects; LOX not only oxidises, but also may affect unsaturated fatty acids; xylanase degrades sugar molecules; HEAT can accelerate the thermal motion of molecules. Data analysis after treatment with GOX, LOX, xylanase and HEAT revealed that the glutenin macropolymer content increased by 0.43%, 0.87%, 0.39% and 0.62%, and the median size of the sample (D50) increased by 1.56, 1.64, 0.52 and 0.74 lm, respectively. In addition, the proportion of a random coil and b-sheet increased and that of a-helix and b-turns decreased, while the polymeric protein content increased. This study contributes to our understanding of the protein changes during flour maturation and helps to predict the quality of wheat flour.

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Photo by Elle Hughes on Unsplash

Photo by Elle Hughes on Unsplash

Why is it important?

It is necessary to develop and evaluate methods for accelerating flour maturation and to examine the degree of flour maturation at the protein level. Furthermore, the underlying interactions between maturation methods and protein matrix should be investigated to further understand the factors that induce rheological property changes.

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