Effect of cellulase and pentosanase with lactic acid bacteria to increase gluten formation and elasticity in whole-wheat dough sheets

Whole-wheat flour (WWF) is highly nutritious. However, bran hinders the development of the gluten network and affects the quality properties of whole-wheat products. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and cellulase and pentosanase (Cel/Pn) were used to ferment whole-wheat dough sheets (WWDSs) containing bran with varying particle sizes. The effects of enzyme (Cel/Pn)-assisted Lactobacillus brevis (Lbr) and L. plantarum (Lpl) fermentation on the structural and rheological properties of WWDSs were explored. With decreasing bran particle size (BPS), the glutenin macropolymer (GMP) contents of control, Lbr-Cel/Pn- and Lpl-Cel/Pn-treated sheets increased from 3.66, 1.78 and 1.79 mg/g to 4.29, 3.01 and 3.06 mg/g, respectively. The –SH contents of Lbr-Cel/Pn- and Lpl-Cel/Pn-treated dough sheets with BPS <100 μm decreased by 0.38 and 0.37 μmol/L, respectively, and the extension distance of the Lpl-Cel/Pn-treated sheet increased by 52%. After dual enzyme/bacteria treatment, a more stable microstructure was observed in the dough sheet containing finer bran particles. The dual treatment effectively reduced bran-induced damage to the wheat gluten network. Thus, the dual treatment used in this study could potentially be used to improve the quality of whole-wheat products.