Response Surface Methodology to Assay the Effect of the Addition of Proteins and Hydrocolloids on the Water Mobility of Gluten-Free Pasta Formulations

Abstract

In gluten-free pasta formulation (suitable for those suffering from celiac disease),the influence of each constituent has a major importance on the final productquality, especially water and hydrocolloid contents used to replace the glutenmatrix. Gluten-free doughs are mixed dispersed systems; the dispersion mediumcontains several types of dispersed particles, with two main construction materials?polysaccharides and proteins. Four levels of structural hierarchy in dispersedfood systems can be distinguished: submolecular, molecular, supermolecular, andmacroscopic. Structural functions of a biopolymer depend upon its place in thestructural hierarchy of the product (Tolstoguzov 2000).The presence of hydrocolloids and proteins in dough may modify the mobility ofwater to interact with starch in the gelatinization process (Blanshard 1987). Theamount of water content and the presence of different components such as sugars,gums, and proteins affect the extent to which the amorphous regions are plasticizedduring gelatinization, modifying the corresponding enthalpy and the peak temperaturein a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermogram.The extent of hindered mobility of water molecules is related to the amount ofthe unfrozen water content of the systems and their glass transition temperature (Tg)and influences the conditions for starch gelatinization. The aim of this chapter is touse response surface methodology (RSM) to analyze the effect of the addition ofproteins and hydrocolloids on water?starch interaction during gelatinization ingluten-free doughs using a triangular mixture design through the analysis ofthermograms obtained by modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC).The amount of unfrozen water, water melting temperature, and glass transitiontemperature for each formulation are also studied, and their relationship with doughcomposition is determined.