Creep and dynamic rheological tests indicated that addition of redox additives directly into gluten or into flour before gluten extraction resulted in differences in rheological parameters. Heating from 30 to 50 • C caused a decrease in elastic modulus whereas heating above 50 • C strengthened the structure as evidenced by an increase in elastic modulus. Higher elastic modulus and lower creep compliance values suggested that Hereward gluten was more highly cross-linked than Riband gluten. Glutenin seemed to be affected more than gliadin during temperature sweep experiments. Both oxidising and reducing reagents showed similar weakening effects on gluten irrespective of addition into flour or gluten. Treatment with oxidising reagents, particularly bromate, slightly delayed the temperature for the increase in elastic modulus as assessed by temperature sweep experiments. The identical effect of reducing and oxidising reagents may be attributable to the differences in mode of action and intrinsic material properties.
INTRODUCTIONThe rheological properties of dough change significantly during bread baking mainly as a result of heat-induced alteration of its components. As gluten is the major component responsible for the viscoelastic behaviour of dough, changes in the rheology of gluten as a function of temperature are critical for final setting of the bread structure. The differences between wheat cultivars in terms of final loaf quality may arise from heat-induced chemo-rheological transitions in the gluten proteins during the baking process. 1 Doughs of good and poor breadmaking quality usually prove to the same height in a similar length of time. Thus it is the differences in the factors that limit the expansion of dough that are important. 2 Therefore, it is necessary to understand better the heat-induced alteration in rheological properties of gluten.Rheological behaviour can be modified using chemical oxidising and reducing agents to improve handling properties of dough and final product quality. Redox agents are widely used in commercial breadmaking and their action on dough properties occurs during different stages of the breadmaking process (mixing, proving and heating). They have their effects through modifying the dough protein structure. 3 The properties of viscoelastic materials are usually measured by creep, stress relaxation or dynamic oscillatory tests to obtain fundamental information,