Water absorption capacity determines the functionality of vital gluten related to specific bread volume

Vital gluten is often used in baking to supplement weak wheat flours and improve their baking quality. Even with the same recipe, variable final bread volumes are common, because the functionality differs between vital gluten samples also from the same manufacturer. To understand why, the protein composition of ten vital gluten samples was investigated as well as their performance in a microbaking test depending on the water content in the dough. The gluten content and composition as well the content of free thiols and disulfide bonds of the samples were similar and not related to the specific bread volumes obtained using two dough systems, one based on a baking mixture and one based on a weak wheat flour. Variations of water addition showed that an optimal specific volume of 1.74–2.38 mL/g (baking mixture) and 4.25–5.49 mL/g (weak wheat flour) was reached for each vital gluten sample depending on its specific water absorptio

Fundamental characterization of wheat gluten

Vital wheat gluten plays an important role in the food industry, especially in baking to help standardize dough properties and improve bread volume. However, a fundamental characterization of a wide variety of vital gluten samples is not available so far. This would be necessary to relate compositional characteristics to the production process. Therefore, we analyzed the content of crude protein, starch, lipids and ash, oil and water absorption capacity, particle size distribution, gluten protein composition and spectroscopic properties of 39 vital gluten samples from 6 different suppliers. Principle component analysis of all analytical parameters revealed that the samples from one specialized vital gluten manufacturer had a different composition and a greater variability compared to all other samples from wheat starch producers. While the composition of vital gluten samples from the same manufacturer was similar and the score plot showed a cluster formation for samples from three suppliers, the variability over all samples was comparatively low. The samples from the other suppliers were too similar altogether so that it was hardly possible to identify clear differences, also related to functionality

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements