Unveiling the binding mechanism between wheat arabinoxylan and different molecular weights of wheat glutenins during the dough mixing process

Water-soluble arabinoxylans (AX) is an important dietary fiber in wheat bran that influence the gluten network. However, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism remains unclear. This study compared the interactions between AX and high/low molecular weights of glutenin (HMW/LMW) and found that AX-HMW developed a more uniformed structure than AX-LMW. The optimized property was found at 8% AX (AX8-HMW) when the disulfide bonds, foaming and emulsifying properties reaches highest, which is better than the optimized AX4-LMW. However, higher AX ratio led to poor properties due to AX self-aggregation. The enhancement property can be associated with the formation of molecular complexes. Both HMW and LMW can capture and encapsulate AX to form stable structures, with the binding strength of AX-HMW being stronger than that of AX-LMW, resulting in macroscopic properties. Our findings clarify the interaction mechanism between AX and different molecular weight of glutenins which contributes to understand the role of AX in the dough mixing process.