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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Grain Quality and Structure Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #418393
Research Project: Measurement and Improvement of Hard Winter Wheat End-Use Quality Traits

Location: Grain Quality and Structure Research

Title: Flour treatments affect gluten protein extractability, secondary structure and antibody reactivity

Author
item MATTIONI, BRUNA - Kansas State University
item Tilley, Michael
item SCHEUER, PATRICIA MATOS - Universidade Federal De Santa Catarina (UFSC)
item PAULINO, NIRALDO - Medical Lex
item YUCEL, UMUT - Kansas State University
item WANG, DONGHAI - Kansas State University
item DE FRANCISCO, ALICA - Universidade Federal De Santa Catarina (UFSC)

Submitted to: Foods
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/25/2024
Publication Date: 10/2/2024
Citation: Mattioni, B., Tilley, M., Scheuer, P., Paulino, N., Yucel, U., Wang, D., De Francisco, A. 2024. Flour treatments affect gluten protein extractability, secondary structure and antibody reactivity. Foods. 12(19):3145. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193145.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193145

Interpretive Summary: This study aimed to provide a better understanding of the possible processing-induced changes in wheat gluten network solubility, secondary protein structure and microstructure of the flour. We also aimed to better understand how the treatment affects digestibility in relation to celiac disease. Commercial Brazilian wheat flour was subjected to extrusion, oven, and microwave treatments. All treatments resulted in reduced solubility of the polymeric and monomeric proteins. In addition, the treatments affected the glutenin and gliadin profiles. These changes, with a decrease in solubility and changes in the profile of proteins, are the result of the rearrangement of proteins during the treatments, resulting in a more complex structure. Finally, the potential celiac disease immune stimulatory epitopes were measured and found to be lower after microwave treatment by the G12 ELISA test compared with the control flour. Even with the alteration of gluten structure and complexity, these changes did not allow the production of a flour safe for celiacs as the number of potential celiac disease immune stimulatory epitopes were still high.

Technical Abstract: Commercial Brazilian wheat flour was subjected to extrusion, oven, and microwave treatments. The solubility, monomeric and polymeric proteins, and glutenin and gliadin profiles of gluten were analyzed. In addition, in vitro digestibility and response against potential celiac disease im-mune-stimulatory epitopes were investigated. All treatments resulted in low solubility of the pol-ymeric and monomeric proteins. The amounts of insoluble proteins increased from 5.6 % in con-trol flour to approximately 10 % for all treatments, whereas soluble proteins decreased from 6.5 % to less than 0.5 % post treatment. In addition, treatments affected glutenin and gliadin profiles. The amount of a/ß- gliadin extracted decreased after all treatments, while that of '-gliadin was unaffected. Finally, alteration of the gluten structure and complexity was not sufficient to render a product safe for consumption for individuals with celiac disease; the number of potential celiac disease immune-stimulatory epitopes remained high.