Increase in the Viscosity of Soft-Flour Batter by Weak Direct-Current Processing

Abstract

Effect of direct current on the functional properties of batter made from soft-wheat flour was studied to establish a new processing method for food. Soft-wheat batter was processed with direct current (30 mA) and was separated into anode side and cathode side from the middle. The anode and cathode side samples were each kneaded six times for thirty seconds per. Batter viscosity was measured with a rotation viscometer after each kneading. After kneading, the viscosity of the anode side sample greatly increased with increasing electrical processing period. To elucidate the cause of this change, the processed batter was lyophilized and then extracted with water. The amount of extracted protein detected by the Bradford method increased with increasing period of electro-processing, especially in the anode side sample. Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis showed the increase of protein bands was attributable to glutenin macropolymer (GMP) in the extracted substance. Microscopic observation showed that the solubilized protein re-combined to make a protein matrix that captured starch granules.