Effects of Moisture Migration and Changes in Gluten Network Structure during Hot Air Drying on Quality Characteristics of Instant Dough Sheets

The impact of hot air drying temperature on instant dough sheets' qualities was investigated based on water migration and gluten network structure changes. The results revealed that the drying process redistributed the hydrogen proton, with deeply bound water accounting for more than 90%. The T₂ value decreased as the drying temperature increased, effectively restricting moisture mobility. Meanwhile, microstructural analysis indicated that instant dough sheets presented porous structures, which significantly reduced the rehydration time of instant dough sheets (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In addition, elevated drying temperatures contributed to the cross-linking of proteins, as evidenced by increased GMP and disulfide bond content (reaching a maximum at 80 °C), which improved the texture and cooking properties. Hence, the water mobility was effectively reduced by controlling the drying temperature. The temperature had a facilitating impact on promoting the aggregation of the gluten network structure, which improved the quality of the instant dough sheets.