Cereal Chem 52:459 - 471.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Heat-Moisture Effects on Wheat Flour. I. Physical-Chemical Changes of Flour Proteins Resulting from Thermal Processing.

L. P. Hansen, P. H. Johnston, and R. E. Ferrel. Copyright 1975 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Wheat flour (hard red winter 1st clears) was processed in a reversed-heat exchanger designed to control processing parameters of temperature (108, 150, and 174 C), moisture (13-33%), and time (2, 5, and 10 min). Protein changes were studied by solubility in urea, gel filtration, disc electrophoresis, and amino acid analysis. The following effects were found: protein aggregation of lower-molecular-weight proteins; disappearance of albumins and globulins; the release of peptides; destruction of lysine, arginine, and cystine-cysteine. Temperature was the main parameter that determined the occurrence of these changes. An explanation for the chemical-physical changes of the proteins is presented involving the peptide and disulfide linkages.