Effects of milling methods on the properties of frozen corn dough: Insights into starch structural and physicochemical properties under repeated freeze-thaw cycles.

The effects of dry, semi-dry, and wet milling on the multi-scale structure and physicochemical properties of corn dough under freeze-thaw cycles(F/T) were investigated. The semi-dry milled corn dough with low damaged starch content (1.35%) and uniformly distributed starch granules, readily formed a stable starch-protein matrix. It restricted water migration and accumulation, exhibited the highest relative crystallinity (20.40%), and maintained structural stability during F/T. After F/T, its hardness increased (136.0-224.0 N). High damaged starch (6.03%) and large granules (D50 = 19.14 μm) in dry milled corn dough disrupted the starch-protein matrix during F/T, causing crystallinity to plummet (16.58% - 8.33%). In wet milled corn dough, the high specific surface area of starch granules promoted ice crystal attachment to the starch-protein matrix, weakening structural support and reducing hardness (123.4-103.3 N). Thus, the semi-dry method improves F/T resistance by optimizing starch packing and molecular order, supporting process refinement.