Influence of gliadin and glutenin on breadmaking properties of flour

Bread is an important commodity for its nutritional value and contribution to the agricultural and general economy. Anything that ensures the continued utilization of wheat grain and the production of bread is of economic importance. It is easy to quantify wheat proteins; a problem arises in determining their quality with respect to the breadmaking potential of flour. Gluten is formed in dough when the two types of wheat storage proteins, the glutenins and gliadins, interact with each other to form a network that imparts the viscoelastic properties of dough. Hydrated gliadin imparts plasticity to dough whereas hydrated glutenin imparts elastic properties. The molecular weight distribution of the wheat storage proteins is recognized as the main determinant of physical dough properties. Protein governs dough properties through the development of a continuous network throughout the dough. The continuous phase in this colloidal system consists of gluten, which imparts its physical characteristics to the dough. The molecular weights of the proteins vary from 20,000 to 11,000,000 Dalton. This obviously causes variation in the mechanical properties of the gluten.