Biotechnology of breadmaking: unraveling and manipulating the multi-protein gluten complex

• Published in: Bio/technology (New York, N.Y. 1983) Vol. 13; no. 11; pp. 1185 - 1190
• Main Authors: Shewry, P.R. (University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.), Tatham, A.S, Barro, F, Barcelo, P, Lazzeri, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Nature Publications 01-11-1995
• Subjects: ALIMENTOS; Amino Acid Sequence; BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR; Biological and medical sciences; BIOLOGIE MOLECULAIRE; Biotechnology; Bread; BREADMAKING; CALIDAD; Cereal and baking product industries; DOUGHS; ELASTICIDAD; ELASTICITE; ELASTICITY; Food industries; FOOD QUALITY; FOODS; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GENE TRANSFER; GENETIC TRANSFORMATION; GENETICA MOLECULAR; GENETIQUE MOLECULAIRE; GLUTEN; Glutens - chemistry; Glutens - metabolism; high molecular weight subunits; LITERATURE REVIEWS; MASA DE PANADERIA; MOLECULAR BIOLOGY; MOLECULAR GENETICS; Molecular Sequence Data; PANIFICACION; PANIFICATION; PATE DE CUISSON; PLANTAS TRANSGENICAS; PLANTE TRANSGENIQUE; PRODUIT ALIMENTAIRE; QUALITE; QUALITY; Structure-Activity Relationship; TRANSFERENCIA DE GENES; TRANSFERT DE GENE; TRANSFORMACION GENETICA; TRANSFORMATION GENETIQUE; TRANSGENIC PLANTS; TRITICUM; TRITICUM AESTIVUM; Viscosity; Viscoelasticity; Bread making; Monocotyledones; Genetic transformation; Paste; Review; Gene expression; Subunit; Structure function relationship; Cereal crop; Gene; Gramineae; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Molecular probe; Recombinant protein; Gluten; Triticum aestivum; Polymorphism
• ISSN: 0733-222X; 2331-3684
• DOI: 10.1038/nbt1195-1185

Breadmaking is one of humankind's oldest technologies, being established some 4,000 years ago. The ability to make leavened bread depends largely on the visco-elastic properties conferred to wheat doughs by the gluten proteins. These allow the entrapment of carbon dioxide released by the yeast, giving rise to a light porous structure. One group of gluten proteins, the high molecular weight (HMW) subunits, are largely responsible for gluten elasticity, and variation in their amount and composition is associated with differences in elasticity (and hence quality) between various types of wheat. These proteins form elastomeric polymers stabilized by inter-chain disulphide bonds, and detailed studies of their structures have led to models for the mechanism of elasticity. This work has also provided a basis for direct improvement of wheat quality by transformation with additional HMW subunit genes.