Instantaneous wheat dough relaxation by alternating current electric fields

Wheat dough exhibits poor processibility immediately after a mechanical strain, such as mixing or laminating. For proper dough processing, the relaxation of gluten network must occur during a process interrupting resting time of usually 10–25 min. The ability of electric fields to induce modifications in biological structures within seconds, makes an application of this technique reasonable for accelerating the structural relaxation during dough resting. Applying alternating current electric fields (AC-fields) to wheat dough, causes viscoelastic properties corresponding to those of rested dough: AC-fields (110–260 V, 1–5 s) increased extensibility and softness of dough corresponding to resting times up to 25 or rather 50 min. Based on this significant acceleration of structural relaxation, an almost continuously dough processing after a mechanical stress by a simple and short post-processing step without changing dough's gas release (ΔV_total ≤ 3.0%) as well as holding capacity (Δgas retention ≤ 1.47%) and the textural properties of the product appears feasible.