Influence of konjac glucomannan on thermal and microscopic properties of frozen wheat gluten, glutenin and gliadin

The effects of different konjac glucomannan (KGM) concentrations (0.5%, 1.5%, 2.5%, 3.5%, 4.5%, w/w) on the thermal and microscopic properties of the frozen wheat gluten, glutenin and gliadin were investigated in this study. KGM exerted a positive effect on the denaturation temperature and denaturation enthalpy of frozen gluten and gliadin, while KGM decreased those of frozen glutenin. Such effects induced by KGM were resulted from the interaction between KGM and frozen wheat gluten, glutenin and gliadin. The underlying mechanism was discussed from the perspective of protein structure. Specifically, the addition of KGM increased the alpha-helix structure of frozen gluten and gliadin, while decreased the alpha-helix of frozen glutenin. Furthermore, 8-turn of frozen gluten and gliadin presented a decreasing trend with increasing amount of KGM. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed that there was stronger interaction between wheat protein and KGM. These results provide fundamental knowledge for better application of KGM in frozen protein-based foods.

Automated summary

Different concentrations of konjac glucomannan (KGM) had varying effects on the denaturation properties of frozen wheat gluten proteins, with a positive impact on gluten and gliadin, and a decrease in denaturation temperature and enthalpy of glutenin. The addition of KGM increased the alpha-helix structure of frozen gluten and gliadin, while decreasing that of frozen glutenin, indicating a potential interaction mechanism between KGM and the proteins. The scanning electron microscopy results confirmed the enhanced interaction between wheat proteins and KGM.