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Glucose Oxidase Effects on Gluten and Water Solubles¹

¹Contribution No. 98-7-J from the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Manhattan, KS 66506. ²Graduate research assistant and professor, respectively, Department of Grain Science and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506. ³Present address: Dominos Pizza, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. ⁴Present address: R&R Research Services, Manhattan, KS 66502. Corresponding author. E-mail: r_and_r@kansas.net

Hydrogen peroxide was responsible for the improving the effect of glucose oxidase in breadmaking. The mechanism by which H₂O₂ has its effect is not known. The objective of this study was to determine whether the H₂O₂ produced by glucose oxidase affected the gluten proteins or the water-soluble fraction of flour. Glucose oxidase had no effect on gluten protein as measured by protein solubility or the relative viscosity of soluble protein (solubilized using 1.5% w/v SDS). However, glucose oxidase did affect the water-soluble fraction. The sulfhydryl content of the water-soluble fraction extracted from flour or dough decreased in the presence of glucose oxidase. Glucose oxidase also caused oxidative gelation of the water-soluble fraction extracted from flour. However, the viscosity of the water-soluble fraction extracted from fermented doughs containing glucose oxidase decreased when higher levels of glucose oxidase were used (≥5.0 units of glucose oxidase). Glucose oxidase appeared to have the same oxidizing action independent of whether the water-soluble fraction was boiled or not.