This study investigated the impact of high-level replacement
(from
2.5% to 10%) of dietary pea fiber (PF), insoluble wheat straw fiber
(IWF), and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) on wheat flour dough characteristics.
IWF included 92.96% cellulose, whereas hemicellulose comprised the
majority of PF’s insoluble fibers (38.12%), followed by CMC
(28.90%). FTIR data from lyophilized enriched dough samples showed
that PF and IWF interacted with gluten proteins, improving gluten
network structuration, but the CMC hindered it. Furthermore, FTIR
data showed that the addition of IWF induced partial gluten dehydration.
Doughs with a high DF content showed higher water absorption and resistance
to extension but lower extensibility than the control. Dynamic rheology
demonstrated that PF and IWF raised the elastic and viscous moduli
while decreasing the loss factor, whereas CMC had the reverse effect,
supporting structural results. TGA data indicated that CMC reduced
the dough thermal stability by destroying the gluten network but IWF
and PF increased it. The results revealed that PF and IWF, when added
to wheat flour dough, interacted with gluten proteins, enhancing the
dough’s quality for baking applications. Conversely, the CMC
degraded the dough by preventing the formation of the gluten network.