The quality of wheat flour is largely determined by the properties of gluten proteins. Chemical components that
influence gluten proteins are used as flour improvers in the flour industry. In this study, tanninswhich are natural
occurring polyphenols were found to improve dough mixing properties. The effects of tannins on the physicochemical
and structural properties of gluten proteins were examined, and the results showed that tannins promoted
the non-covalent interactions among gluten proteins, although they induced SH/SS interchange
reactions in the dough. The β-turn and α-helix conformations were increased, whereas the β-sheet conformation
was decreased in dough containing tannins as detected by FTIR.Moreover, the addition of tannins promoted the
aggregation of gluten proteins, modified themicrostructure of gluten networks, and improved the mixing properties.
The positive effects of tannins on dough properties implied the potential of tannins as a new flour