title: Effects of partial hydrolysis and subsequent cross-linking on wheat gluten physicochemical properties and structure.
abstract: The rheological behavior and thermal properties of wheat gluten following partial hydrolysis using Alcalase and subsequent microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) cross-linking were investigated. The wheat gluten storage modulus (G') and thermal denaturation temperature (Tg) were significantly increased from 2.26 kPa and 54.43°C to 7.76 kPa and 57.69°C, respectively, by the combined action of partial hydrolysis (DH 0.187%) and cross-linking. The free SH content, surface hydrophobicity, and secondary structure analysis suggested that an appropriate degree of Alcalase-based hydrolysis allowed the compact wheat gluten structure to unfold, increasing the β-sheet content and surface hydrophobicity. This improved its molecular flexibility and exposed additional glutamine sites for MTGase cross-linking. SEM images showed that a compact 3D network formed, while SDS-PAGE profiles revealed that excessive hydrolysis resulted in high-molecular-weight subunits degrading to smaller peptides, unsuitable for cross-linking. It was also demonstrated that the combination of Alcalase-based partial hydrolysis with MTGase cross-linking might be an effective method for modifying wheat gluten rheological behavior and thermal properties.
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
authors.forename: Kaiqiang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
authors.forename: Shuizhong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
authors.forename: Qiaoqiao
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
authors.forename: Yanyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
authors.forename: Xiyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
authors.forename: Shaotong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China. Electronic address: zhengzhi@hfut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005983:Glutens / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006868:Hydrolysis; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D055550:Protein Stability; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D058767:Protein Unfolding; D012212:Rheology; D013381:Subtilisins / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000737:chemistry*; D014908:Triticum / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D010455:Peptides; D005983:Glutens; D011503:Transglutaminases; D013381:Subtilisins
keywords: Cross-linking; Partial hydrolysis; Physicochemical properties; Structure; Wheat gluten