Effect of composite‐enzymatically modified Ganoderma lucidum powder on rheological and structural properties of soft wheat flour dough and cookie quality

Abstract BACKGROUND Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal–edible fungus commonly used to fortify cereal‐based products, but direct addition of its powder to soft wheat flour dough may disrupt gluten development and processing performance. This study examined how composite‐enzyme treatment alters the physicochemical and structural properties of G. lucidum powder (GLP), and how enzyme‐modified GLP, added at 10–50 g kg −1 on a flour basis, affects dough rheology and structure and the quality of GLP‐enriched cookies. RESULTS A substitution level of 30 g kg −1 yielded the most favourable dough behaviour, with higher viscoelasticity, a more integrated gluten–starch network and a 46.6% increase in disulfide bond content relative to the control, indicating stronger gluten crosslinking. Low‐field NMR showed more bound water and less free water, while differential scanning calorimetry and X‐ray diffraction indicated delayed gelatinisation and a 26.1% reduction in relative starch crystallinity. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed a denser and more continuous gluten–starch structure at 30 g kg −1 GLP. In cookies, GLP had little effect on diameter or thickness but clearly increased hardness and shifted colour from light yellowish to dark reddish brown (lower L *, higher a * and b *). CONCLUSION Overall, composite‐enzymatically modified GLP can serve as a structure‐oriented ingredient for soft wheat flour dough and GLP‐enriched cookies, providing a feasible route to structurally stable functional bakery products. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.