IMPROVEMENT OF THE FUNCTIONAL-PROPERTIES OF INSOLUBLE GLUTEN BY PRONASE DIGESTION FOLLOWED BY DEXTRAN CONJUGATION

Insoluble gluten was solubilized by Pronase treatment. Pronase-treated gluten (PTG) was conjugated to dextran by dry heating at 60-degrees-C and 79% relative humidity through Maillard reaction between amino groups in gluten peptides and the reducing-end carbonyl group in dextran. The solubility of PTG-dextran conjugates was improved with periods of dry heating. The PTG-dextran conjugate obtained by dry heating for 3 weeks revealed constant solubility at all pH regions (pH 2-12). The emulsifying properties of the PTG-dextran conjugate were greatly increased with dry-heating time. The molecular weight of PTG-dextran conjugates was widely distributed from 0.1 to 2.0 million.