The e#ects of adding gelatinized starches to a kneading dough (a process known as yukone in Japanese) on the crumb grain of baked white breads were studied using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with and without distilled-water soaking of the samples. MRI revealed that pores became larger and rounder in yukone breads compared to control breads using the sponge dough method, while the number of pores decreased in yukone breads. SEM revealed many starch granules on the surface of pore walls in the control breads, whereas the yukone breads contained starch gels cemented between starch granules. Gluten nets were found to be uniform and oriented in the control breads and became thicker and coarser in the yukone breads. Comparing the SEM images of two commercial white breads made by the yukone method, the fine gluten nets under the starch walls were found to be considerably di#erent.

The effects of freeze damage on the crumb grain and on the underlying gluten fibrils of baked breads were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Sweet and white bread doughs were stored at ‐20°C and subjected to freeze‐thaw cycles. SEM images of grain pore walls that were washed with distilled water (20°C) clearly showed that gluten fibrils forming the skeletal framework of pore walls were cut and became coarse and nonuniform strings and that many knots were generated on gluten fibrils from freeze damage. An increase in the number of freeze‐thaw cycles increased both the coarseness of the gluten fibrils and the size of the knots, although the apparent damage was not clearly detected on the crumb grain with MRI.