Encapsulation of Gluten

Gluten is a protein contained in wheat which gives elasticity and tensile strength to dough. However, these properties may be lost during food processing because of the heat sensitivity of the protein. This research aims to encapsulate the gluten for retaining its function when being processed even at a high temperature. The encapsulation was examined for mixtures of maltodextrin with gum arabic or with casein by using either spray drying or oven drying. It was found that the mixture of maltodextrin with gum arabic (MD:GA) is more suitable for an encapsulating material than that with casein (MD:C), and the spray drying gives a better result in comparison with the oven drying. The optimum condition of the encapsulation was the mixture at MD:GA ratio 2:1 and the spray drying was at 170 °C. The obtained gluten encapsulation shows slowly adhesiveness, uniformed particles, and easy flow criteria when dissolved in water.