ABSTRACT
Molecular interactions in dough are poorly defined but affect final product usage. By monitoring changes in torque as dough is formed, we identified 80-85 °C as a gateway stage determining dough collapse during the mixing/heating process. We propose that this phenomenon is a diagnostic signature linked to integral features of dough complexes formed by some wheat varieties but not others. We found the dough at 80-85 °C was stabilized by increasing the starting bowl temperature (before a standard linear increase in temperature) of the mixing process and demonstrated the significance of specific macromolecular interactions that are formed early in the mixing process. Enzymes including papain, alpha-amylase, glucose oxidase and phytase stabilized dough structure to facilitate transition through the gateway temperatures between 80 and 85 °C. Our results show that if the dough initially formed a protein-starch complex that was too large, instability and collapse of the structure can occur later.
