Reflections on How Wheat Flour Lipids Impact the Viscoelastic Properties of Gluten Proteins

Endogenous wheat flour lipids are known to play an important role in baked product quality, even though they constitute a minor fraction of wheat flour composition. They interact with gluten proteins throughout the different stages of dough processing and therefore contribute to specific quality traits in baked products. Polar non-starch lipids interact with gliadins, whereas both polar and nonpolar non-starch lipids interact with glutenins. These interactions control the hydration dynamics of the gluten proteins during mixing, contribute to the gluten network strength, prevent coalescence of the gas cells during fermentation, and affect the gluten denaturation and starch gelatinization temperatures during baking. The chemical backgrounds of these interactions have been of interest. The aim of this review is to bring an in-depth evaluation of how the interactions between the endogenous wheat flour lipids and gluten proteins affect the mechanical properties of the gluten network.