Abstract: This study investigated the effects of adding ferulic acid (FA) on the structural and thermo-mechanical properties of whole wheat dough as well as the texture quality and pore distribution of steamed whole wheat bread. The weakening degree of gluten proteins, starch gelatinization properties and whole wheat doughs incorporated with different proportions (0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%) of FA were measured using a Mixolab apparatus. The microstructure was examined through scanning electron microscope (SEM). The quality changes of steamed whole wheat bread were evaluated by analyzing its textural properties and pore distribution. The results showed that compared with the control group, the addition of FA significantly shortened dough development time and stability time (P < 0.05), which were shortened by 21.02% and 42.41% upon the addition of 0.5% FA, respectively. The addition of 0.5% FA also promoted gluten proteins to form a continuous and uniform network structure, enhanced the water-holding capacity of whole wheat dough, effectively slowed down water loss from the core of steam whole wheat bread, and increased the specific volume of steamed whole wheat bread by 20.26%, thereby markedly improving the texture quality of steamed whole wheat bread in terms of microstructure, elasticity and cohesiveness. However, higher concentrations of FA (1.0%–1.5%) could lead to rupture of the gluten network structure, which negatively affected the rheological properties and texture quality of whole wheat dough. The results of this study will provide a new solution to the key problems of traditional steamed whole wheat bread such as rough taste and hard texture and provide the theoretical basis for improving the rheological properties of whole wheat dough and the texture quality of steamed whole wheat bread.

Key words: ferulic acid; whole wheat dough; thermo-mechanical characteristics; steamed bread; texture properties