Impact of fermentation methods on gluten aggregation and structural properties in frozen cooked fermented hollow noodles during freeze-thaw cycles

This study evaluated the impact of fermentation methods—noodle fermentation (NF), liquid pre-fermentation (LpF), and crumbly dough fermentation (CDF)—on the aggregation and structural properties of gluten in frozen cooked fermented hollow noodles (FCFHNs) during freeze-thaw (FT) cycles. After FT cycles, the disulfide (SS) bonds of gluten in FCFHNs underwent cleavage, leading to gluten depolymerization. FCFHNs produced through LpF showed the least damage (4.85 %), followed by NF (5.51 %), while CDF demonstrated the most significant degradation (6.28 %). During FT cycles, order-to-disorder conformational transitions were observed in gluten of all FCFHNs. LpF effectively slowed the transition from α-helices to β-turns and random coils, the exposure of aromatic amino acids, and the deformation of SS bonds. Enlarged pores and ruptured gluten networks observed in FCFHNs further corroborated the disruption of ordered structures, with CDF being the most severely impacted. In summary, gluten in FCFHNs produced using LpF exhibited superior aggregation and structural stability.