Effects of ultrasound-assisted resting on the tensile properties and gluten network formation of wheat noodle dough

The effects of ultrasound-assisted resting on the properties of high moisture wheat noodle dough were studied by monitoring changes in tensile strength, glutenin macropolymers (GMP), water mobility, free sulfhydryl groups (-SH), non-covalent interactions, molecular weight distributions, and microstructure. Ultrasound treatment reduced the resting time needed to reach optimum extensibility from about 20 min to 10 min. The ultrasound treatment led to a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in gluten macropolymer levels and -SH, as well as a significant increase in polymeric polymers extractable using sodium dodecyl sulfate, demonstrating increased protein depolymerization in the dough. The proportion of strongly bound water decreased during ultrasound-assisted resting, and the proportion of weakly bound water increased, indicating ultrasound treatment accelerated moisture redistribution in the dough. After 10 min of ultrasound-assisted resting, the dough’s gluten network structure was better developed compared with the control group according to confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis. Ultrasound treatment could thus reduce the resting time and improve the gluten network formation of high moisture wheat noodle dough.