According to the legend in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, wet gluten was created by a chef in Zhang Shicheng at the end of Yuan Dynasty. Zhang Shicheng is a native of Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, who was born as a salt vendor. It is said that once a grain carrier from Zhang Shicheng passed through Desheng Lake in Xinghua, suddenly there was a storm and all the grain carriers were drowned. After the storm, Zhang Shicheng ordered the soldiers to go down to the lake to salvage, and the flour was soaked into a pulp cake. The chef in Zhang Shicheng washed the pulp cake and made it into pasta. It turned out that the spaghetti was soft and slippery, and the taste was as delicate as meat, which made all the soldiers gasp in admiration. So Zhang Shicheng called it the meat in the noodles.
There is another saying: During the reign of Qing Qianlong, people used manpower to trample the screened bran into gluten dough with salt water, then cut the raw bran into a certain shape and fry it in an oil pan. This practice is a specialty of Wuxi, with golden color, smooth surface, delicate and delicious taste, and rich in protein and vitamins.
Flour generally contains 8- 12% moisture, 60-80% starch and 8- 15% protein. Gluten is the protein in flour, also known as gluten or gluten, and its English name is Gluten. Gluten is often used as a substitute for meat in other countries. (According to the solubility characteristics of seed protein, these protein can be divided into four categories:
(1) Water-soluble protein (albumin), which can be dissolved in water or diluted buffer, solidifies when heated. This protein is usually an enzyme.
(2) Salt-soluble protein (i.e., "globulin") is insoluble in water, but soluble in salt solution, such as 0.4mol/L NaCl solution, which is not easy to solidify when heated.
(3) Alkali-soluble protein (namely "gluten") is insoluble in water, but soluble in dilute acid or alkali solution.
(4) alcohol-soluble gliadin, which is soluble in 70-90% ethanol solution and insoluble in water.
In wheat, wheat albumin accounts for about 4%, globulin accounts for about 8%, gliadin (gliadin) accounts for about 39%, and glutenin accounts for about 49%. This is only a special data, and there are many factors that affect the proportion of protein. Wheat albumin and globulin are soluble in water and belong to non-gluten protein. Gliadin and glutenin are water-insoluble glutenin.
Gluten is insoluble in water, but soluble in 70-90% ethanol solution. It has a small molecular weight (20,000-30,000) and is spherical in monomolecular form. Wet gliadin is rich in ductility and viscosity (more viscous when the salt content is less), but less elastic.
Glutenin is insoluble in water, but partially soluble in dilute acid or dilute alkali solution, with a large molecular weight (2 million ~ 3 million). It is a kind of polymer protein and fibrous. Wet glutenin has strong coagulability, but it has no adhesiveness, elasticity and small extensibility.
Flour is stirred with water, and gluten absorbs water and swells. In the process of swelling, gliadin and a small amount of soluble protein are absorbed, forming a network structure, that is, gluten. Glutenin and gliadin are linked by disulfide bonds.
Gluten scientific name: Gluten protein is a kind of plant protein extracted from wheat, which consists of many amino acids. It contains many trace elements such as phosphorus, potassium and zinc, and is high in protein, low in fat, low in sugar and low in calories. The food has the characteristics of stickiness, elasticity, extensibility and strong liposuction. It can be directly cooked, fried and eaten, and is widely used in food fields such as cakes and drinks.
Gluten is rich in selenium and gluten much more than rice, which has antioxidant effect, blocks the damage of free radical cells, enhances human immunity, resists fatigue and relieves psychological and physical stress.