Comparative study on the improvement effect of salt and kansui on the gluten network weakening induced by ferulic acid in wheat dough

In this study, the effects of salt (NaCl, KCl) and kansui on the weakening of the gluten network induced by ferulic acid (FA) in wheat dough and its molecular mechanism were systematically investigated. The effects of salt and kansui on the water distribution, rheological properties, microstructure, and gluten protein of FA dough were analyzed. The results showed that FA destroyed the continuity of the gluten network, reduced the proportion of β-sheet and disulfide bond content by 15.3% and 3.37μmol/g, respectively, and significantly weakened the hardness, elasticity, and cohesion of dough. 1.5g/100g inhibited the negative effect of FA through the ion shielding effect, promoted the cross-linking of β-sheet structure and disulfide bond, and enhanced the order and compactness of the gluten network. Kansui promotes the migration of free water to bound water and induces the aggregation of gluten protein molecular chains by enhancing electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, forming a uniform and dense network structure, which significantly improves the viscoelastic modulus and texture characteristics. This study reveals that salt and kansui can effectively alleviate the damage of FA to gluten network through differential molecular mechanisms, which offers a theoretical foundation for the development of functional high-nutrition flour products. • Ferulic acid (FA) destroyed the gluten network structure and reduced the β-sheet ratio and disulfide bond content. • NaCl (1.5 %) promoted the formation of β-sheet, increased the content of disulfide bond, and reduced the destruction of FA on dough. • The addition of KCl increased the gelatinization temperature of FA dough. • The addition of kansui made the free water in FA dough migrate to tightly bound water and weakly bound water. • The addition of salt and alkali increased the content of disulfide bonds in FA dough.