Effect of Microbial Transglutaminase and Sodium Caseinate on Restoring Damaged Gluten Network from Insect Damaged Wheat Flour

Different factors have undesirable effects on viscoelasticity of gluten. One of the most important factors, is bug insect. Bug insect which feeds on wheat injects the proteolytic enzymes into a wheat kernel with its own salivary. The proteolytic activity of the enzymes in damaged wheat is made clear in physical properties of dough and its bread. The activity of the protease enzyme leads to the weakening and breaking of the gluten network. This research investigates the effects of the microbial transglutaminase and sodium caseinate on improving the chemical and rheological properties of the damaged wheat flour. For this purpose, Transglutaminase and Sodium Caseinate were added to the formulation at three levels of 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7% and two levels of 2 and 4%, respectively. Experimental results demonstrated that addition of Transglutaminase and Sodium Caseinate can improve rheological properties of dough. Also, functionality of Transglutaminase was improved in presence of Sodium Caseinate.