Cereal Chem 40:430 - 435.  |  VIEW ARTICLE

A Farinograph Technique for Studying Gluten.

W. Bushuk. Copyright 1963 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The farinograph was adapted to produce a reasonably normal curve for dried vital gluten and water mixed to about 81% absorption; in essence, the 50-g. bowl is used with the linkage set for the 300-g. bowl. Addition of 10 micro eq. per g. gluten of 2-mercaptoethanol yields a farinogram for reduced gluten exhibiting a rapid fall in consistency such as is obtained with reduced dough. Additions of oxygen at atmospheric pressure, or of 15 or 30 micro eq. per g. of N-ethylmaleimide (NEMI) after 10 min. of mixing, had little effect on the curve. But a sharp peak in consistency followed by a further gradual decrease was caused by adding 15 or 30 micro eq. per g. of iodate. A second addition of 30 micro eq. per g. of iodate at 20 min. after the addition of 15 micro eq. per g. of iodate or NEMI had no additional effect, whereas a similar addition of NEMI produced a slight increase in the rate of breakdown. Results are discussed in terms of possible reactions with -SH and S-S groups. It is suggested that iodate creates S-S cross-links, whereas NEMI does not, and that the similarity in the improving-action of the two reagents under certain conditions must result from removal of -SH groups and subsequent effects on the rate of the S-S interchange reactions.