The overexpression of high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit Bx7 improves the dough rheological properties by altering secondary and micro-structures of wheat gluten.

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the crucial cereals consumed by human beings and wheat gluten, the natural macromolecules, mainly determines the processing quality of wheat dough. The high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GSs) of gluten proteins are recognized as one of the main components regulating the rheological properties of dough. The overexpressed Bx7 subunit (Bx7OE) has been reported to improve wheat quality and rheological properties of dough, however its effect on secondary and micro- structures of gluten is still unclear. In this study, we evaluated the composition of main storage proteins in wheat grains of two near-isogenic lines and studied the effect of Bx7 subunit expression level on the secondary structures of gluten and micro-structure of gluten during dough mixing process. Results showed the protein content, HMW-GSs proportion in total glutenins and free sulfhydryl content increased in the flour of HMW-Bx7OE wheat line, and the accumulation of unextractable polymeric protein during grain filling stage accelerated. It was found that the content of ß-sheets in secondary structures of gluten increased and a more compact micro-structure of gluten network formed in the dough. Protein network analysis characterized and quantified the alterations in the gluten micro-structure. In the process of dough mixing, protein area, total protein length, number of junctions and branching rate reach the peak at dough development time, which was consistent with Chopin mixing profile. Interestingly, during dough mixing, the above-mentioned parameters of HMW-Bx7OE showed less changes than those of HMW-Bx7 wheat line, indicating Bx7OE improved the dough stability during mixing. To conclude, Bx7OE alters the secondary and micro- structures of gluten and thus improves the mixing and rheological properties of wheat dough.

Physicochemical properties of starch in relation to rheological properties of wheat dough (Triticum aestivum L.).

Wheat dough has been considered as a complex blend where gluten forms the continuous reticular skeleton and starch granules act as filling particles. The effect of starch on dough behaviors is not clear and the mechanism of starch affecting dough properties needs to be revealed. In this study, the micro-structure and physiochemical properties of starch from six wheat varieties (lines) with different dough properties were investigated, and the rheological properties of wheat dough were determined. Six varieties with significant different starch properties perform various dough behaviors, among which Xinmai 26 with preeminent dough quality has the highest amylose content, B-type starch granule content, short-range ordered degree and starch swelling power but lowest relative crystallinity and gelatinization enthalpy of starch. The findings indicate that starch physicochemical properties also influence the dough behaviors and provide helpful information for demonstrating the effects of starch on dough properties in the protein-starch matrix.

The influence of night warming treatment on the micro-structure of gluten in two wheat cultivars.

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the important cereals for human life. As people pursue higher quality of life, the requirements of improving the quality of wheat flour also increase accordingly. Global warming exhibits asymmetrically, that is, the warming rate during the night is significantly greater than that during the day. However, the effect of moderate warming on the quality formation of wheat is still unclear. In this study, night warming treatment was carried out at the grain filling stage to clarify the effects of night warming on the accumulation of UPP% (percentage of SDS-unextractable polymeric protein) and micro-structure of wheat gluten, with a strong gluten wheat cultivar Xinong979 and a plain gluten wheat cultivar Tam107 as materials. Results showed that night warming treatment significantly increased the protein content in the grains of the two varieties, accelerated the accumulation rate of UPP%, made the micro-structure of wheat dough more compact and dense and increased the flour processing quality. Quantitative analysis of protein networks showed night warming increased junction density, total protein length and lacunarity of micro-structure of dough in both varieties. Night warming treatment in this study helped the two varieties demonstrate better quality traits in both wheat grain and dough.

Effects of HMW-GS Ax1 or Dx2 absence on the glutenin polymerization and gluten micro structure of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) dough strength and extensibility are mainly determined by the polymerization of glutenin. The number of high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) differs in various wheat varieties due to the silencing of some genes. The effects of Ax1 or Dx2 subunit absence on glutenin polymerization, dough mixing properties and gluten micro structure were investigated with two groups of near-isogenic lines. The results showed that Ax1 or Dx2 absence decreased the accumulation rate of glutenin polymers and thus delayed the rapid increase period for glutenin polymerization by at least ten days, which led to lower percentage of polymeric protein in mature grain. Ax1 or Dx2 absence significantly decreased the dough development time and dough stability, but increased the uniformity of micro structure. Lacunarity, derived from quantitative analysis of gluten network, is suggested as a new indicator for wheat quality.