This study investigated the effects of a hemicellulase dosage (20, 40, and 60 mg kg⁻¹ of flour) on the bread quality and rheological properties of wheat aleurone-rich flour. The results showed that hemicellulase could soften dough and improve extensibility. At the optimum hemicellulase dosage (40 mg kg⁻¹ of flour), the bread specific volume increased by 40.91% and firmness of breadcrumb decreased by 104.57% compared to those of the control. Intermolecular forces indicated that the gluten network during the proofing was mainly strengthened via disulfide bonds, hydrophobic interactions, and hydrogen bonds but not through ionic bonds after hemicellulase addition. Fourier infrared spectroscopy indicated that the hydrolytic activity of hemicellulase catalyzed the transition from α-helix to β-sheet, which verified that viscoelasticity of gluten was enhanced at a dosage of 40 mg kg⁻¹ of flour. These results suggested that hydrolyzation of hemicellulase contributed to the structural of gluten changes, thereby improving the quality of wheat aleurone-rich bread.

Waxy wheat offers unique benefits in food processing, including improving the smoothness and performance of the product. However, waxy wheat is not yet commercially available. The protein characteristics, including the protein content, subunit distribution, secondary structure, chemical interactions, and microstructure of the gluten, were explored to realize the full potential of waxy wheat. The results showed that the noodles prepared from waxy wheat had a gentle and glutinous texture compared with GY2018 and YM13. Partial-waxy and waxy wheat had a lower gluten index and glutenin macropolymer (GMP) content than GY2018, indicating a reduced gluten strength. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images showed that the starch granules were not securely attached to the partial-waxy and waxy wheat protein matrix. In addition, the waxy protein chains appeared more elongated and they weakened the protein network. In particular, HMW-GS subunit 2 + 12 may be the essential cause of the weak dough from SKN1. Compared with GY2018 and YM13, SKN1 had the highest number of free sulfhydryl groups. Rather than ionic bonds, hydrophobic interactions increased the gluten network in GY2018, YM13, and SKN1. The weak molecular forces in the gluten will result in a soft noodle texture.