Enzymes are used in baking to improve dough handling properties and the quality of baked products. Glucose oxidase (GO) is an enzyme with oxidizing effect due to the hydrogen peroxide released from its catalytic reaction. In this study, the macroscopic effect of increasing glucose oxidase concentrations on wheat dough rheology, fresh bread characteristics and its shelf life during storage was determined. A reinforcement or strengthening of wheat dough and an improvement of bread quality can be obtained with the addition of GO, although inverse effects were obtained when excessive enzyme levels were added. The analysis of the gluten proteins at molecular level by high performance capillary electrophoresis and at supramolecular level by cryo-scanning electron microscopy revealed that the GO treatment modified gluten proteins (gliadins and glutenins) through the formation of disulfide and non-disulfide crosslinks. The high molecular weight glutenin subunits showed to be the most susceptible glutenin fraction to the oxidation action of GO. Excessive addition of GO produced an excessive crosslinking in the gluten network, responsible of the negative effect on the breadmaking properties.

This work was financially supported by Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología Project (MCYT, AGL2002-04093-C03 ALI), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad de Valladolid and Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain.

8 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables.-- Published online 5 October 2005.

Peer reviewed