Department of Consumer and Food Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Marama bean is a climate-smart crop, gluten-free and can grow in the Kalahari Desert. Marama bean protein has been shown to exhibit viscoelastic properties, although not as pronounced as those of gluten proteins in wheat. The objective was to determine the effect of laccase enzyme with tannic acid on the rheological properties of dough made from Marama bean concentrate. The protein concentrate was modified with tannic acid (4% w/w) and a commercial laccase enzyme (0.5%, 1%, and 5% w/w) alone and in combination. Rheological tests on dough made from unmodified and modified Marama bean protein concentrate included amplitude sweeps, frequency sweeps, and creep–recovery analyses. Structural changes were evaluated by LC-MS, FTIR, and dynamic light scattering. Dough from modified Marama bean with tannic acid and laccase enzyme showed a higher linear viscoelastic range compared to the control. The highest strain was for the tannic acid–laccase treatments. Similarly, dough from the modified protein exhibited higher storage and loss moduli for frequency sweep compared to the unmodified protein, indicating a greater degree of molecular entanglement. In creep–recovery tests, dough from modified protein with 0.5% laccase, combined with tannic acid, showed a similar recovery to vital gluten. Dough from treated protein samples exhibited higher elasticity compared to the control. Structural analysis showed a reduction in β-sheets and β-turns, and an increase in random coils and α-helices for modified proteins. LC-MS showed the formation of di-tyrosine crosslinks in modified proteins. In conclusion, tannic acid in combination with laccase can produce Marama protein dough with viscoelastic properties similar to those of vital gluten, resulting from secondary structural changes and dityrosine cross-links. These changes in the rheological properties showed good potential in gluten-free bakery applications