Effect of β-Cyclodextrin on the Quality of Wheat Flour Dough and Prebaked Bread

This work investigated the effects of the addition of different concentrations (0–3.0 wt%) of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) on the properties of wheat dough and prebaked bread. Dough tensile test results and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the addition of 0.5–1.5 wt% β-CD enhanced dough tensile strength and promoted gluten formation. The addition of 2.0–3.0 wt% β-CD, however, failed to improve gluten network formation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the α-helix-to-β-sheet ratios of dough samples increased as β-CD content increased. This result indicated that the protein secondary structure of the dough had changed. Fermentation rheometry illustrated that dough fermentation height, gas production volume, and gas-holding capacity increased with the addition of 0–1.5 wt% β-CD. Dough fermentation capacity decreased when the addition of β-CD exceeded 2.0 wt%. The effect of β-CD on the quality of prebaked frozen bread was also studied. The results of texture profile analysis indicated that the addition of 1.5 wt% β-CD could reduce bread hardness and increase bread crumb elasticity and resilience. The results of the C-cell test further demonstrated that the addition of 1.5 wt% β-CD could increase stomatal number and decrease pore number and pore wall thickness. These characteristics suggested that the addition of β-CD improved bread structure.