Structure and Dynamics of Flour by Solid State NMR: Effects of Hydration and Wheat Aging

The effects of accelerated aging of wheat seeds on structural and dynamic properties of dry and hydrated (ca 10 wt % H2O) flour at a molecular level were investigated by several high and low resolution solid-state NMR techniques. Identification and characterization of domains with different mobility was performed by 13C direct excitation (DE) and cross-polarization (CP) magic angle spinning (MAS), as well as by 1H static and MAS experiments. 1H spin-lattice relaxation times (T1 and T1?) measurements were carried out to investigate molecular motions in different frequency ranges. Experimental data show that the main components of flour (starch and gluten proteins) are in a glassy phase, whereas the mobile fraction is constituted by lipids and, in hydrated samples, absorbed water. A lower proportion of rigid domains, as well as an increased dynamics of all flour components are observed after both seeds aging and flour hydration. Linear average dimensions between 20 and 200 Å are estimated for water domains in hydrated samples.