Baking&Snack - July 2012 - 58

ENZYMES

Gluten strengthening, a function of oxidase enzymes, pays off when doughs must support multigrain inclusions.
Caravan Ingredients

Historically, chemical oxidants such as bromates, azodicarbonamide and ascorbic acid have been widely used to strengthen gluten, particularly in bread. Working with today’s enzymes, bakers discovered that oxidases can replace the use of such chemical oxidants. When used under optimum conditions, enzymes can provide volume in the oven that bakers desire and the close crumb grain that consumers expect, according to Dr. Bruinsma. “With changes like this, some hope that even mediocre flour could be turned into good flour, but that has not yet been proven true,” he observed. Dr. Boutte explained the mechanism that allows oxidase enzymes to replace chemical oxidants. “These enzymes oxidize sugars, thus producing resulting in the production of small amounts of hydrogen peroxide in the dough,” he said. Hydrogen peroxide acts directly on gluten as an oxidant, and when used with ascorbic acid, the enzyme-released hydrogen peroxide speeds up the action of the acid, itself a strong gluten cross-linking agent. “The result of using oxidase enzymes is dough with much greater resistance to mechanical stress, ultimately resulting in greater volume and a finer crumb structure,” Dr. Boutte said. “These enzymes work particularly well in applications like grain breads and frozen dough where gluten development can be difficult.”

Proteases, on the other hand, break down gluten. “Proteases relax the dough for easier machining,” he continued, noting their use in cracker manufacturing. “Proteases can provide additional volume to baked foods, and exoproteases, in particular, can increase browning in baked foods by releasing amino acids that take part in browning reactions. This can lead to some additional flavor development.” Recent interest in asparaginase stems from concerns about the formation of acrylamide, a potential carcinogen. “This substance is formed at high temperatures when the amino acid asparagine reacts with a reducing sugar like glucose,” Dr. van Eijk said. “To retard the formation of acrylamide in baked foods, the enzyme asparaginase was developed. It converts asparagine to aspartic acid, which does not take part in the formation of acrylamide.”

A new enzyme that decreases mixing time without opening the crumb grain or shrinking volume was described by Dr. Bruinsma. “If a bakery is waiting on the mixer for 2 or 3 minutes for each dough, this blend will really help the efficiency of the plant,” he said. He detailed another new all-in-one enzyme blend that improves the quality and strength in cracker products. “It can reduce dough fermentation time and create a more tolerant dough, resulting in stronger crackers that break and chip less,” Dr. Bruinsma said. “It also allows up to 8 hours of lost-time tolerance, eliminating dough wastage from mechanical breakdowns.”

1+1=4
Many suppliers are exploring the synergies that exist between different enzymes. “It is not so much new enzymes but rather new combinations,” Mr. Beavan observed. “We offer a new enzyme system that combines specific oxidative and hydrolytic activities for production of expanded whole grain breads.” Such synergistic effects add to inuse benefits. “Synergies exist between numerous enzymes, and we use this to the baker’s advantage when designing an enzyme system for a specific application,” Ms. Rees said. “It isn’t one plus one equals two; sometimes, it’s one plus one equals four. “Enzymes can also have different side activities,” she added. “We’ve catalogued the behavior of hundreds of enzymes in each category.” And behavior is at the heart of enzyme use in the bakery. “Regardless of the enzyme type, each can provide a separate benefit to baking if added in the proper amount and standard conditions are followed,” Dr. Bruinsma concluded. “If enzymes are used improperly, such as overuse or allowing them to work for too long a time, they can cause too much change and may be detrimental to the finished product.”

Emerging enzymes
Advances in biotechnology enable development of other new enzymes for the baking industry — enzymes even more specific in function and designed to address specific issues or concerns. Dr. Boutte described an improvement over maltogenic enzymes: maltotetrahydrolase. “Maltogenic amylase does not work well in certain applications such as tortillas and in other applications produces products with soft but dry mouthfeel,” he said. “This new enzyme was designed to give softness but to also produce a moister-eating product similar to fresh bread while maintaining resilience.” Maltotetrahydrolase cuts four glucose units at a time from the side chains of amylopectin. “This greatly reduces staling in baked foods,” Dr. Boutte said. The new enzyme is effective in a wide range of baked foods, especially breads. There’s also a version specific for short-bake items such as hamburger buns and tortillas.

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/ Baking & Snack / July 2012

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Baking&Snack - July 2012

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