Effects of Hofmeister salt series on gluten network formation: Part II. Anion series

• Hofmeister anions affect gluten structure and rheology more than cations.
• The effect follows the Hofmeister anion series.
• Anions changes the Glu:Gli ratio and % unextractable polymeric protein in gluten.
• The effects caused by direct interactions between anions with specific amino acids.

Different anion salts from the Hofmeister series were used to investigate their effects on gluten network formation. The effects of these anion salts on the mixing properties of the dough and the rheological and chemical properties of gluten samples extracted from the dough with these respective salts were compared. The aim of this work was to determine how different anion salts influence the formation of the gluten structure during dough mixing. It was found that the Hofmeister anion salts affected the gluten network formation by interacting directly with specific amino acid residues that resulted in changes in gluten protein composition, specifically the percentage of the unextractable polymeric protein fractions (%UPP). These changes consequently led to remarkable differences in the mixing profiles and microstructural features of the dough, small deformation rheological properties of the gluten and a strain hardening behaviour of both dough and gluten samples.