Effect of β-glucans on water redistribution and gluten structure in a model dough during the mixing process

Abstract

Farinographic and FT-IR analysis were used to determine water redistributrion and structural changes in the gluten network during dough mixing as a result of model bread dough supplementation with two types of β-glucans. The β-glucans were obtained from barley and beer yeast. Both polysaccharides were added to the dough in the amounts of 3, 6 and 9%. The farinographic studies show that both β-glucans have a similar effect on the course of chemically induced gluten dehydration and mechanical destruction. The application of a water redistribution model shows that barley β-glucan caused higher physical dehydration of the gluten network in comparison with yeast β-glucan. Additionally, both β-glucans did not differ significantly in their chemical reactivity to gluten. This finding was confirmed by the FT-IR results. Both β-glucans caused similar structural changes in the gluten network during dough mixing. An analysis of the spectral region connected with water populations indicates that water molecules form hydrogen bonds with β-glucans rather than with the gluten network during dough mixing.