Cereal Chem 64:437-442   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Denaturation of Wheat Endosperm Proteins During Drying.

C. E. Lupano and M. C. Anon. Copyright 1987 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Wheat seeds (Triticum aestivum) of different moisture contents were dried at different temperatures and times. Drying decreased the subsequent loaf volume and the solubility of flour proteins. This loss of solubility resulted from sulfhydryl-disulfide interchange reactions. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis performed on flour and dough protein extracts treated or untreated with mercaptoethanol showed a decrease of certain polypeptides as a consequence of drying. This decrease was observed mainly in the glutenin fraction. The results indicate that two types of polypeptides, which differ in molecular weight and disulfide bonds, were among the protein species most affected by the thermal treatment. The loss of baking quality correlates with the alterations observed in the proteins.