Synergistic effects of long-chain inulin and ferulic acid in regulating the rheological properties and gluten network formation of wheat dough

The synergistic effects of long-chain inulin and ferulic acid in regulating the rheological properties of wheat dough and gluten network formation was comprehensively investigated. In this study, dynamic rheological analysis, texture profile analysis, low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, zeta potential and particle size analysis, fluorescence spectroscopy, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser confocal microscopy (CLSM) observation, etc. The results showed that the 2.5FXL-1FA treatment reduced the hardness of the dough from 385.71 N to 354.35 N compared to the 1FA treatment, while increasing the disulfide bond (SS) content from 18.10 µmol/L to 25.56 µmol/L. This combination treatment also elevated both storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″), indicating enhanced dough elasticity and viscosity. Furthermore, the combination treatment increased the peak temperature (Tp) and enthalpy change (ΔH) values of dough, suggesting improved dough stability during heating. At lower concentrations, the FXL-FA combination reduced the zeta potential and fluorescence intensity of gluten, which was associated with improved gluten stability and a more compact network structure. However, higher doses of FXL-FA were found to negatively affect dough quality and gluten protein network stability, indicating that optimal doses are critical for maximizing the benefits of FXL-FA in dough formulation. This highlights the critical importance of optimizing the FXL-FA dosage to maximize the benefits of this combination in dough formulation.