between molecules, and on whether water can
separate the molecules from each other by
hydrogen bonding. The wheat proteins that
form gluten when flour is mixed with water
are a kind of protein that absorbs considerable
amounts of water but doesn’t dissolve,
because many fat-like groups along their
molecules bond with each other, hold the
proteins together, and exclude water.
Similarly, the proteins that make up the
contracting muscle fibers in meat are held
together by ionic and other bonds. On the
other hand, many of the proteins in milk and
eggs are quite soluble.
Protein Denaturation
A very important characteristic of proteins is
their susceptibility to denaturation, or the
undoing of their natural structure by chemical
or physical means. This change involves
breaking the bonds that maintain the