Enzymes as Processing Aids in Bakery Products

15 January | Sarab Sahi, Rheology and Texture Section Manager

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Enzymes are critical components in bakery production, serving as catalysts that enhance quality and efficiency while extending the shelf-life of baked goods. They help manufacturers produce satisfying bread, cakes, and biscuits that meet consumer expectations. Despite their widespread use, enzymes often remain unrecognized in ingredient lists, leading to confusion among both manufacturers and consumers. In this article, we aim to clarify what enzymes are, their properties, and how they contribute to improving the nutritional quality of bakery products.

A Basic Introduction to Enzymes

Enzymes are biological catalysts that occur naturally in plants and animals, which aid in energy extraction processes. Chemically speaking, enzymes are specialized proteins that lower activation energy, enabling chemical reactions to occur more rapidly under optimal conditions. They operate by forming an enzyme-substrate complex, which facilitates the transformation of substrates into products. Most enzymes can function effectively in minute quantities since they are recycled in the reaction process until they are either exhausted or deactivated by unfavorable conditions. Key factors influencing enzyme activity include temperature, pH, ionic strength, and substrate availability. The residual enzyme components present in the final baked products are non-toxic and harmless.

Enzymes are prevalent in most raw materials utilized in food production, particularly cereals and legumes. Wheat, for instance, is abundant in endogenous enzymes, crucial for traditional bread-making processes. Although their concentrations are generally low, they can fluctuate due to various environmental factors. Apart from endogenous enzymes, commercially available exogenous enzymes can also be added to enhance specific characteristics of baked goods. Common examples include alpha-amylases, proteases, lipases, oxidases, and hemicellulases, all of which modify essential food components like starch, protein, and fat.

Measurement of Enzyme Activity

Quantifying enzyme activity in raw materials like wheat flour can be challenging, as they often exist in low concentrations. Key enzyme activities of interest to bakers typically include alpha-amylases, proteases, lipases, and hemicellulases. We employ specific techniques at Campden BRI to assess alpha-amylase activity in flour. The falling number test measures viscosity reductions in starch, whereas the Ceralpha assay utilizes a commercial kit to quantify chemical groups hydrolyzed by alpha-amylase directly.

Additionally, several indirect methods can indicate enzyme presence in flour, such as observing physical dough property changes using texture analyzers or viscometers. Enzyme activity that degrades structural compounds like starches leads to observable changes in physical properties. These instrumental techniques can further illustrate the effects of added enzymes, such as proteases and hemicellulases, on dough behavior.

In bread dough, for instance, enzymes gradually form fermentable sugars, enabling yeast to work in a more regulated manner. This controlled carbon dioxide generation prevents damage to the delicate gas cell structure within the dough.

Application of Enzymes in the Baking Industry

The baking industry encounters numerous challenges, aiming to meet the diverse needs of consumers in a market where indulgent products are often favored due to their high fat and sugar content. However, both fat and sugar play essential roles during processing and contribute significantly to a product's texture and shelf-life. Addressing these challenges is where enzymes show great promise as processing aids.

Fat is crucial for baked goods due to its properties, which include:

• Stabilizing gas bubbles
• Water retention
• Softening texture

Reducing fat content can pose challenges, leading to undesirable outcomes. Emulsifiers are commonly used to substitute some fat functions, but they are often labeled with E-numbers, which may cause consumer apprehension. A potential solution is utilizing lipase enzymes that create emulsification materials in situ. These enzymes, particularly in bread and cake manufacturing, can effectively reduce the fat needed in formulations, provided the correct substrate is present and environmental conditions are suitable.

Sugar also serves several functions in baked goods:

• Providing sweetness
• Controlling batter viscosity
• Influencing starch and protein setting temperatures
• Contributing color through caramelization and Maillard reactions
• Acting as a humectant (preservative)
• Softening texture

Recent health trends have drawn negative attention to sucrose, making it the focus of dietary concerns. Enzymatically generated sugars in situ present several advantages over added sugars, particularly contributing to a cleaner label. Amylase enzymes are integral to this process during bread production by slowly generating fermentable sugars, which allows yeast to work without excessive carbon dioxide that could harm the gas cell structure. This gradual sugar production continues until the dough reaches baking temperatures, leading to beneficial effects such as crust browning and flavor enhancement.

Fibre is another dietary focus, and integrating fibrous materials into baked goods is increasingly popular. However, ingredients like wheat bran can absorb significant amounts of water, complicating dough processing. This problem can create insufficient fermentation and poor-quality bread. Xylanases offer an enzymatic solution by breaking down large fiber molecules, subsequently assisting in dough processing by retaining dietary benefits.

Various other enzymes contribute specific benefits in bakery product manufacturing. Glucose oxidases and lipoxygenases aid gluten development via oxidation, while lipoxygenase also whitens bread crumb. Proteases enhance dough flexibility by modifying gluten networks, facilitating the filling of molds or the flattening of dough, as required in pizza base production. Among these, amylases, lipases, and xylanases are the most widely utilized in baking.

The Future for Enzymes

The forthcoming regulations in the EU regarding enzymes in food production promise significant changes for the baking industry. A list of permitted enzymes is currently being compiled, potentially influencing the market substantially. The outcome of such regulations remains to be seen, but their implications for the baking sector could be far-reaching.

Regardless of regulatory changes, enzymes will remain essential processing aids within the baking industry. Their capability to function efficiently, maintain clean label standards, and enhance competitiveness confirms their lasting presence. The natural occurrence of many enzymes in staple bakery ingredients like wheat and soy flour further supports their use. Enzymes historically underpin traditional baking methods such as sourdough and sponge systems, and they remain critical despite exposure to high baking temperatures that deactivate them while sustaining product integrity.

Our extensive experience in enzyme applications for baking enables us to understand and analyze enzyme blends effectively, researching their impact on dough and batter throughout the production process. Our expertise in optimizing processing conditions can assist manufacturers in maximizing the benefits of enzyme systems. We welcome opportunities to hear from you on how we can support your needs.

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