A novel method to prepare gluten-free dough using a meso-structured whey protein particle system

This paper presents a novel concept for making an elastic dough using a structured protein suspension. The idea behind it is based on the hypothesis that a number of gluten properties originate from a particle structure present in the gluten network. Three different mesoscopically structured whey protein suspensions were produced: whey protein aggregates, a whey protein cold set gel and whey protein particles. Dough mixtures or batters were prepared by mixing the structured protein particle suspension with starch. Farinograph curves, small and large deformation experiments showed that the presence of a mesoscopic protein structure had a large impact on the properties of gluten-free starch mixtures. The whey protein that was structured into a mesoscopic particle suspension changed the starch mixture from a liquid into a cohesive material, having strain hardening properties.