Understanding the quality changes and underlying mechanism of wheat-stewed dough during storage

This study investigated the quality changes and their underlying mechanisms in wheat-stewed dough during storage at 4°C for various durations. Total plant count (TPC), pH, water activity (Aw), water distribution, texture properties, brightness (L*), microstructure; contents of free sulfhydryl groups (SH), disulfide bonds (S–S), glute-nin macropolymers (GMP), secondary protein structure, and turbidity were evaluated. With prolonged storage time, the TPC of wheat-stewed dough increased by 8.53%, whereas pH and L* decreased gradually, with increase in free water content. On the first day of storage, Aw was the highest, whereas pH decrease fastest at 1.47%. On the third day of storage, maximum breaking distance (119.25 mm) took place. Conversely, the contents of S-S bonds, GMP, and β-sheets exhibited an initial increase, followed by a decrease. The β-sheet content peaked on the fifth day (28%), coinciding with the lowest contents of S-S bonds and random coils. GMP content transitioned from accumulation to degradation on fifth day. The turbidity of noodles also reached its minimum on the fifth day. On the seventh day of storage, hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and recovery of wheat-stewed dough decreased by 34.40%, 16.22%, 42.32%, and 28.58%, respectively. Based on the changes in S-S bond breakage, GMP depolymerization, β-sheet transformation, and turbidity, the critical point of dough proofing was established in 5 days.