GLUTEN FORMATION STUDIED BY THE TRANSMISSION ELECTRON-MICROSCOPE

The structure of gluten and its formation was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Stretching the strands of the native framework of insoluble endosperm protein levels down globular surface structures to form a platelet-like arrangement on protein sheets. Treating the sheets with solutions of triethylamine or dithioerythritol results in an increased appearance of thread-like forms, which are considered to be one of the structural elements of gluten. The formation of gluten is basically a process of aggregation and of the mechanical transformation of materials that exist in the pre-formed state within the endosperm cells. The most important transformation is the formation of protein films, which starts at the branching points of protein strands and results in a layer-like arrangement in dough and gluten. © 1990 Springer-Verlag.