Wheat assumes a pivotal global role in trade due to its proteins that yield gluten. These proteins possess the necessary elasticity and resilience essential for diverse baked goods and pasta.
Inside the wheat kernels' endosperm, two pivotal proteins, glutenin and gliadin, collaborate to generate gluten. Strikingly, wheat stands as the singular common cereal containing sufficient quantities of these proteins to yield top-quality gluten for producing bread and pasta.
The caliber of wheat flour is intrinsically linked to the gluten formed through the amalgamation of flour with water and its subsequent mechanical manipulation. This process results in a pliable framework that underpins the foundation of bakery products and pasta.
Gluten can be defined as a cohesive, supple protein substance acquired as a by-product during the separation of starch from wheat flour. When viewed through a biological lens, gluten originates from the reservoir of proteins within the wheat grain.
Clusters of proteins, accounting for 6 to 18 percent of the composition, function as the adhesive agent, securely anchoring starch granules within the endosperm. The glutenin and gliadin proteins, responsible for the creation of gluten, contribute to around 80 percent of the overall protein content within the endosperm.
Wheat flour gluten
