Wheat Gluten and Its Hydrolysates. Possible Fields of Practical Use

Resumo

Wheat gluten is a group of water-insoluble proteins of wheat endosperm. As a co-product of the starch and bioethanol production, gluten is available in fairly large quantities. Therefore, the search for optimal ways of its industrial utilization is an important economic task. The food industry is a traditional area for gluten application. However, the study of its structural and functional properties allowed expanding the area of the gluten use due to its various modifications, in particular, enzymatic hydrolysis. As compared to native gluten, the gluten hydrolysates have better foaming and emulsifying abilities, as well as higher water solubility. Biologically active properties of hydrolysates (antioxidant, hepatoprotective and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibiting) were also shown. The search for and selection of proteolytic enzymes or their combinations, and optimization of the technological process will permit to obtain the hydrolysis products with the required characteristics, expand their use in industry and reduce the cost of their production.