Mitigating long-term deterioration of frozen dough: Isothermal-buffered frozen storage for stabilizing water mobility and the gluten-starch network

Long-term quality deterioration remains a major challenge for the frozen dough industry. This study evaluated an isothermal-buffered frozen storage (IFS) against conventional air frozen storage (AFS) over 60 days. Results showed that the high thermal storage capacity of IFS acted as a physical barrier, reducing temperature fluctuations by 2.7-fold compared to AFS. This thermal stability effectively inhibited ice recrystallization, minimizing mechanical stress on the gluten-starch network and yeast cells. Consequently, IFS delayed the migration of bound water to a freezable state, preserving dough hydration. Bread from IFS-treated dough exhibited 15.69% higher specific volume and superior crumb uniformity. Mechanistically, the thermal buffering effect of IFS mitigates environmental temperature fluctuations, thereby limiting ice recrystallization and reducing subsequent mechanical damage to the gluten-starch matrix and yeast cells. This study offers a feasible strategy to enhance the stability of frozen dough against the unavoidable temperature variations commonly encountered in cold chain logistics.