Impact of basil seed gum on the textural, rheological properties, water state, gluten depolymerization and microstructure of frozen dough

This study aimed to investigate the impact of basil seed gum (BSG) on the textural, rheological properties, water state, gluten depolymerization and microstructure of the frozen dough during frozen storage. The results suggested that the addition of BSG improved the textural and rheological properties of frozen dough. It also significantly enhanced the bound water proportion and glutenin macropolymer (GMP) content of frozen dough. Meanwhile, BSG effectively decreased the content of free sulfhydryl and freezable water in the frozen dough, and also stabilized the secondary structure of gluten. The gluten-starch network of the frozen dough added with BSG was more continuous and uniform, suggesting that BSG could effectively mitigate the mechanical injury caused by ice crystals to the gluten network structure of frozen dough. Furthermore, after 60 days of frozen storage, the frozen dough added with 0.5% (w/w) BSG exhibited similar physicochemical properties and microstructure to the fresh dough without BSG. These results indicate that BSG can be used as a promising cryoprotectant in frozen dough.