Baking&Snack - February 2014 - 87

cake system. "You need both activities to meet the need
for keeping cakes soft," he observed.
Ms. Sargent also identified sweet goods as an area new
to enzyme use. "Enzyme solutions that worked well in
bread were not suited for sweet good formulations or
processing," she said. "New enzyme technology is now
available to be applied in sweet bakery items."
Looking at the big picture, Mr. McKeown found the
idea of water management via enzyme choice gaining traction. "Using newer enzyme technology, water
absorption can be manipulated so that processing and
baking is positively impacted," he said. "These enzymes
are becoming more specific and functional leading to
reduced energy needs without impacting finished product qualities."

Making the switch
First, a word of caution. Enzymes do have extraordinary
potential to cut or entirely replace chemical additives,
but the road to clean-label formulating can hold obstacles. For example, a little bit of an enzyme goes a long
way. In a solution of amylose, just one molecule of betaamylase generates 20,000 molecules of maltose per second. A miscue on usage levels for an emulsifier doesn't
have that kind of effect.
"People need to realize that it is not 1:1," Mr. van den
Berg cautioned. "Additives can be difficult to mimic exactly, and enzymes can be more sensitive in application."
Like other experts consulted for this article, he urged
users to consult with supplier companies that tailor
compound enzyme blends specifically for bakery applications. "Our industry partners can help," Mr. van den
Berg said. "We are enzyme experts, but we rely heavily
on the baking expertise of our partners. It's their applications knowledge that best suits the baker customer.
There will be a need for testing in making these changes,
and our industry partners are good at that."
Mr. McKeown's advice was similar: Work with your
bakery ingredient supplier and set up a transition plan.
"Discuss your product needs and begin to incorporate
cleaner label components in a slow, methodical manner,"
he said. With so many choices, don't try to do too much
too quickly.
Look at the entire formula before starting. "We typically suggest taking a look at the entire formula," said
Ms. Knott. This approach provides the perspective of a
clean slate and may also reduce bowl costs. "Oftentimes,
we see bakeries that work on one additive at a time.
However, this can create a situation where you are using
more enzymes than are necessary or that are impeding
the function of others."
Mr. Fatula, too, advised formulators to work in stages.
"When removing unwanted additives, do it one by one,"

Go 'retro' with bromelain and papain
Before the advent of modern enzymes, bakers most often turned
to diastatic malts and plant extracts to modify dough performance. Malt retains its bakery primacy, but usage of bromelain
and papain is less so but with some important exceptions.
"Bromelain and papain are aggressive proteases, with
broad substrate specificity, whose action is hard to control,
"
explained Jan Van Eijk, bakery research director, Lallemand
Baking Solutions, "so they are mainly used as digestive aids
and in biscuit and cracker application where there is less need
for a limited specific breakdown of the gluten protein.
"
Some experts mention side activities as a concern, but cost
is more of a factor. "These botanical enzymes typically have
few side chain reactions, so their usage provides specific and
predictable functionality, said Bill McKeown, vice-president,
"
innovation, AB Mauri. "Through technology advancements,
today's bacterial and fungal enzymes provide the same specific
functionality with few side chain reactions but at lower costs.
"
Mr. Van Eijk summarized, "The modern techniques for
producing enzymes have resulted in enzymes that are purer
without undesirable side activities; more economical, especially when using GMO production organisms; more specific
with desirable action pattern; and have better tolerance when
added at high dosage levels"
.
Still, bromelain and papain continue to be used profitably
in other food applications. Joseph Herzog, technical sales
director, Enzyme Development Corp., noted their value as
enzymatic meat tenderizers and in production of hydrolyzed
vegetable protein. "They are cost-effective, broad-spectrum
proteases with strong performance at the starting pH of most
foodstuffs, he said.
"

he said. "And do the easiest removals and replacements
first. You can easily learn that in the total performance of
the finished product, many may not even be necessary."
Take an approach that emphasizes expected product
performance. First, identify which ingredients to reduce
or remove, Ms. Sargent advised. Also, determine the
functionality to be retained.
Such practicalities apply to the production floor, too.
"When using more enzyme-based dough conditioners
or bread improvers, bakers need more discipline in respect to processing times and conditions than when using chemical additive ingredients," Mr. Devos said.
In times to come, bakers can expect even more diversity from enzymes that aid bakery productivity. Today's
shelf life extension, clean-label formulating and acrylamide abatement activities are the tip of the iceberg.
"The world is made of enzymes," Ms. Knott said. "There
are endless opportunities with them, and many different
types have not yet been discovered."

www.bakingandsnack.com / February 2014 Baking & Snack 87

http://www.bakingandsnack.com

Baking&Snack - February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking&Snack - February 2014