title: Increasing and stabilizing β-sheet structure of maize zein causes improvement in its rheological properties.
abstract: Wheat gluten proteins are considered to have the unique ability to form viscoelastic matrices that are essential for breadmaking. This study shows that maize seed storage protein (zein), if properly treated, can be made to function similarly to gluten at the protein secondary structure level with concomitant improved viscoelasticity. Here, we propose the concept of a small amount of coprotein (high molecular weight glutenin or casein) acting to stabilize a build-up of β-sheet structure in a zein-based dough, thus creating a viscoelastic matrix that is retained over time. This discovery is relevant to the need for gluten replacement viscoelastic proteins for wheat intolerant individuals and as well opens possibilities of creating wheatlike cereal varieties that could more cheaply substitute for wheat imports in developing countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.
authors.forename: Carla D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Mejia
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Lisa J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Mauer
authors.forename: Osvaldo H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Campanella
authors.forename: Bruce R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Hamaker
mesh_terms: D002364:Caseins / Q000737:chemistry; D004355:Drug Stability; D004548:Elasticity; D005983:Glutens / Q000737:chemistry; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D012212:Rheology; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014783:Viscosity; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry*; D015028:Zein / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002364:Caseins; D005983:Glutens; D015028:Zein; C037302:glutenin