Bioscience Methods 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 70-82 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 72 are evenly distributed and have smooth surfaces, gluten chains can more easily wrap around the granules, forming a continuous network (Li et al., 2023). In addition, Li et al. (2023) also found that the presence of smaller starch granules can enhance the binding strength between gluten and starch, leading to a more stable dough structure. Figure 1 Starch granules and the protein network structure in the three wheat varieties (Adopted from Li et al., 2023) Image caption: Images of isolated starch granules and the protein network structure in dough samples produced from Xinong 979 (A,D,G), Zhengmai 7698 (B,E,H), and Xinong 836 (C,F,I). (A-C) Morphology of starch granules observed by scanning electron microscope at a magnification of 1 000×. (D-F) Original stained images of dough obtained by laser scanning microscopy, where the scale bar represents 50 μm. (G-I) Gluten network structure processed with AngioTool, where white represents the junctions, blue represents the protein skeleton, yellow represents the protein outline/area, and the black area is filled with starch granules (Adopted from Li et al., 2023) During the dough formation process, the interaction between starch and gluten is mainly regulated by their physicochemical properties. The gluten network forms a continuous three-dimensional structure, while starch granules act as fillers distributed within it. The stability of this network depends on the combined actions of disulfide bonds and hydrogen bonds, which determine the dough's viscoelasticity (Zhang et al., 2018; Peng et al., 2022). Moreover, strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds can form between high-molecular-weight gluten subunits, further enhancing the dough's elasticity and increasing its strength, leading to stability (Shewry et al., 2002). The thermal properties and gelatinization characteristics of starch also affect the interaction between starch and gluten. A stronger protein-starch interaction can inhibit starch gelatinization, thereby improving the dough's
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