Effect of microbial transglutarninase on the rheological and thermal properties of insect damaged wheat flour

Proteases in insect damaged wheat disrupt grain protein structure. Transglutanimases catalyse the formation of covalent linkages between protein chains and can be used to restore the properties of the damaged proteins. The effect of increasing transglutaminase levels on the viscoelastic behaviour and thermal stability of damaged wheat was investigated. The results indicate that transglutaminase treatment leads to a more resistant and less extensible dough. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed that the transglutaminase treatment brings the thermal stability of the damaged wheat close to that of undamaged wheat. However, it is necessary to optimise the level of transglutaminase used to obtain the optimum response. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.