Milling & Baking News - August 25, 2020 - 37

ADVERTORIAL

BA K I N G U P DAT E :

Enzymes
SPECIAL EDITION
Practical technology from Lallemand
Baking supplying bakers yeast to
bakers all around the globe

A GUIDE TO BAKING ENZYMES

nzymes are used as ﬂour additives and dough conditioners to replace chemical
ingredients and to perform other functions in a label-friendly way. Understanding their characteristics can help millers, ingredient suppliers, and bakers to use
enzymes more eﬀectively.

TYPES OF ENZYMES
Amylases break down the starch in ﬂour into dextrins and sugars. Alpha-amylase
and beta-amylase occur naturally in wheat, but the natural level of alpha-amylase is
usually too low and variable for optimal breadmaking.
Malt is used to standardize ﬂour. However, it contains non-standardized alpha
amylase activity and protease side activity and therefore addition levels have to
be optimized opposite to standardized alpha amylase dough conditioners with
known activities.
Fungal amylase is also used to standardize the alpha-amylase activity of bread
ﬂour. Fungal amylase is commonly used in dough conditioners to improve oven
spring.
Other amylases are more temperature stable so that they work at later stages
of baking. These intermediate stability, maltogenic, bacterial, and thermostable

BAKING ENZYMES
NAME

FUNCTION

APPLICATIONS

Malt ﬂour

Breaks down starch,
produces maltose sugar

Flour standardization

Fungal amylase

Breaks down starch,
produces maltose sugar

Flour standardization, dough
conditioners, sweetening

Bacterial amylase

Breaks down starch

Dough conditioners, antistaling

Thermostable amylase

Breaks down starch

Antistaling

Intermediate stability
amylase

Breaks down starch

Antistaling

Maltogenic amylase

Breaks down starch,
produces maltose sugar

Antistaling

Glucoamylase

Produces glucose sugar

Sweetening

Hemicellulase/Cellulase
Pentosanase
Xylanase

Breaks down ﬁber,
releases bound water

Dough conditioners

Fungal protease

Breaks down gluten

Flour standardization, dough
conditioners, cracker production

Bacterial protease

Breaks down gluten

Cracker production

Lipoxygenase
bleaches ﬂour pigments

Oxidizes fats,

Crumb whitening

Glucose oxidase
Hexose oxidase

Oxidizes gluten

Dough conditioners

Lipase
Phospholipase

Breaks down fats, oils,
phospholipids

Emulsiﬁer replacement

Transglutaminase

Modiﬁes gluten

Dough conditioners

Enzymes are highly active,
so only small quantities are
required, and highly speciﬁc,
so a single enzyme usually
catalyzes only a single
reaction.

amylases are used primarily in antistaling products
because they convert more of the starch into forms
that resist ﬁrming.
Glucoamylase breaks down the dextrins generated
by amylases into glucose sugar. Glucose is easier for
yeast to ferment than maltose and can be used to
partially replace other sugars in the recipe.
Hemicellulase, along with cellulase, pentosanase,
and xylanase, breaks down the insoluble ﬁber in wheat
ﬂour, rye ﬂour, and ﬁber supplements. The types used
in breadmaking leave the water-soluble ﬁber intact
and release bound water into the dough to improve
machinability and loaf volume. Others, used in cracker
production, break down soluble ﬁber and reduce the
amount of water needed for mixing.
Protease breaks down the gluten protein in wheat
ﬂour. For breadmaking this can improve gas retention,
but with a trade-oﬀ for less tolerance. For cracker
production this improves machinability,
with gas retention not as important.
Lipoxygenase from soy ﬂour oxidizes the fats in
ﬂour to form peroxides. The peroxides bleach the ﬂour
pigments, which results in a whiter crumb color.
Glucose oxidase oxidizes ascorbic acid to
dehydro-ascorbic acid. The dehydroascorbic acid
modiﬁes the gluten protein by forming linkages that
increase its strength.
Lipase and especially phospholipase, break down
the fat-containing parts of ﬂour to produce emulsiﬁers
that strengthen the dough and soften the crumb.
Transglutaminase creates links between gluten
molecules and strengthens the dough.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Enzymes are large proteins that act as catalysts
- Continued

Milling & Baking News - August 25, 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Milling & Baking News - August 25, 2020