EFFECT OF AN ENZYME PREPARATION CONTAINING PENTOSANASES ON THE BREAD-MAKING QUALITY OF FLOURS IN RELATION TO CHANGES IN PENTOSAN PROPERTIES

The effects of a crude pentosanase-containing enzyme preparation were studied on 12 samples of flour varying in quality for French bread making. At the optimal level of addition, the enzyme improved the dough properties, leading to a greater uniformity in quality characteristics and a higher level of quality for all samples. When an excessive amount of enzyme was added, the dough characteristics deteriorated. Changes in the properties of the flour pentosans were studied in the break-making process (kneading, shaping, end of fermentation, baking) using one of the flours, in the absence and presence of pentosanase-containing enzyme preparation at an optimal and excessive levels of addition. Part of the water-unextractable arabinoxylan became extractable during processing of the control sample, but solubilisation occurred to a greater degree with added enzyme. The specific viscosities of water extracts of doughs increased because of the arabinoxylan released from the WUP. Although more arabinoxylan was solubilised at the excessive level of addition, the apparent intrinsic viscosity of dough water-extractable arabinoxylan was greater at the optimum level of addition. These results were essentially confirmed with all the flour samples tested. The effectiveness of the enzyme preparation therefore appeared to be related to the amount and size of the extractable arabinoxylans. © 1994 Academic Press Limited.