Enhancing freeze-thaw stability of frozen dough with deacetylated konjac glucomannan: The role of degree of deacetylation

The effect of different degrees of deacetylation (DDs) of deacetylated konjac glucomannan (DKGM) on the gluten structure, water state, and yeast activity of frozen dough was evaluated. The moderate DKGM group maintained a more continuous gluten network after three freeze-thaw cycles, as evidenced by an 8.67% increase in disulfide bond content and a 15.01% increase in alpha-helix content compared to the KGM group. DKGM effectively impeded bound water migration, with the moderate DKGM group retaining 8.28% more bound water than the KGM group after three freeze-thaw cycles. The stabilization of gluten structure and water state in frozen dough by DKGM resulted in higher yeast activity in the low and moderate deacetylation groups (DD = 31.31% and 50.24%). Additionally, DKGM enhanced the quality of frozen steamed bread. The results indicate that DKGM with a moderate DD (50.24%) effectively alleviates the quality deterioration of frozen dough. These findings suggest that DKGM has great potential as a novel cryoprotectant for frozen dough, with DD being a crucial factor in its cryoprotective effect.