Application of polymer science to properties of gluten

h Much of the knowledge from polymer science studies ran be usefully applied to increase understanding of the properties of gluten and how the are related to composition. Low solubility of gluten proteins compared to many other proteins that have bern studied evidently arises from the low entropy of mixing of the largest-sized glutenins and a relatively high value for the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter mainly due to a low concentration of ionisable groups. Grain hardness is a property chat appears to depend on the proteins that are concentrated at the starch/matrix interface and how the control adhesion. Dough mixing properties, dough strength and extensibility call be understood in terms of the extension of large glutenin molecules giving rise to rubber elasticity and to the presence of molecular entanglements which contribute strength and extensibility to dough systems. (C) 2001 Academic Press.