Wheat bran dietary fibre-induced changes in gluten aggregation and conformation

What is it about?

This study was conducted to determine the effect of wheat bran dietary fibre (WBDF) on aggregation and conformational changes of gluten in fermented and unfermented dough systems. The results revealed that WBDF has an advantage in maintaining the content of glutenin macropolymer (GMP) in the fermentation process. The analysis of the molecular weight distribution showed decreased content of larger polymeric proteins (LPPs). At the same WBDF level, after fermentation, the content of larger polymeric proteins (SPPs) increased, likely due to the polymerisation of the gliadins. Additionally, fluorescence spectroscopy and surface hydrophobicity analysis revealed that, in fermented dough, with the increase of WBDF content, the protein hydrophobicity significantly increased from 6.56 to 9.43 (P < 0.05). Hydrophobic interactions contributed to the macromolecular unfolding and/or aggregation of gluten. Also, WBDF may induce changes in dough properties by inducing conformational changes in the gluten protein.

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Why is it important?

The mechanism underlying the effect of dietary fibre on the dough quality is not fully understood. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of WBDF on gluten aggregation and conformation in fermented and unfermented dough systems.

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