Influence of Degree of Protein Aggregation on Mass Transport Through Wheat Gluten Membranes and Their Digestibility-An In Vitro Study

Cereal Chem. 81(3): 423-428 The influence of the network structure of wheat gluten on the barrier properties against enzymes was investigated in vitro. The changes in the network structure were introduced by different temperature treatments. The modifications were assessed with solubility studies of wheat gluten proteins in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The physical barrier properties of wheat gluten membranes were investigated with transport studies examining the transfer of a model protein with no enzymatic activity (BSA) through gluten membranes. The protein network was an effective barrier for BSA, although lightly cross-linked films were mechanically instable. Membrane breaks occurred in function of the cross-linking density (per-Publication no. C-2004-0325-07R.