Which protein in wheat flour contributes to dough elasticity?

Which protein in wheat flour contributes to dough elasticity?

• A. Gliadin
• B. Glutenin
• C. Albumin
• D. Gluten

Answer: (D)

Dough elasticity comes from a viscoelastic protein network formed when wheat flour proteins hydrate and interact. These proteins are glutenin and gliadin; when water and kneading bring them together, they form gluten—the network that can stretch under gas pressure and then snap back. This ability to deform and recover is what gives dough its elasticity. Glutenin provides the elastic strength through its polymer strands, while gliadin contributes to extensibility; together they create the gluten network that underpins the dough’s elastic behavior. So naming gluten as the protein responsible for elasticity reflects the network that actually enables the dough to stretch and rebound.

Dough elasticity comes from a viscoelastic protein network formed when wheat flour proteins hydrate and interact. These proteins are glutenin and gliadin; when water and kneading bring them together, they form gluten—the network that can stretch under gas pressure and then snap back. This ability to deform and recover is what gives dough its elasticity. Glutenin provides the elastic strength through its polymer strands, while gliadin contributes to extensibility; together they create the gluten network that underpins the dough’s elastic behavior. So naming gluten as the protein responsible for elasticity reflects the network that actually enables the dough to stretch and rebound.