Impact of amylases on biopolymer dynamics during storage of straight-dough wheat bread

The use of time domain 1 H NMR to study proton dynamics in starch-rich foods: A review

Starch is a major contributor to the carbohydrate portion of our diet. When it is present with water, it undergoes several transformations during heating and/or cooling making it an essential structure-forming component in starch-rich food systems (e.g., bread and cake). Time domain proton nuclear magnetic resonance (TD ¹ H NMR) is a useful technique to study starch-water interactions by evaluation of molecular mobility and water distribution. The data obtained correspond to changes in starch structure and the state of water during or resulting from processing. When this technique was first applied to starch(-rich) foods, significant challenges were encountered during data interpretation of complex food systems (e.g., cake or biscuit) due to the presence of multiple constituents (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, etc.). This article discusses the principles of TD ¹ H NMR and the tools applied that improved characterization and interpretation of TD NMR data. More in particular, the major differences in proton distribution of various dough and cooked/baked food systems are examined. The application of variable-temperature TD ¹ H NMR is also discussed as it demonstrates exceptional ability to elucidate the molecular dynamics of starch transitions (e.g., gelatinization, gelation) in dough/batter systems during heating/cooling. In conclusion, TD NMR is considered a valuable tool to understand the behavior of starch and water that relate to the characteristics and/or quality of starchy food products. Such insights are crucial for food product optimization and development in response to the needs of the food industry.

Structural factors governing starch digestion and glycemic responses and how they can be modified by enzymatic approaches: A review and a guide

Starch is the most abundant glycemic carbohydrate in the human diet. Consumption of starch-rich food products that elicit high glycemic responses has been linked to the occurrence of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus type II. Understanding the structural features that govern starch digestibility is a prerequisite for developing strategies to mitigate any negative health implications it may have. Here, we review the aspects of the fine molecular structure that in native, gelatinized, and gelled/retrograded starch directly impact its digestibility and thus human health. We next provide an informed guidance for lowering its digestibility by using specific enzymes tailoring its molecular and three-dimensional supramolecular structure. We finally discuss in vivo studies of the glycemic responses to enzymatically modified starches and relevant food applications. Overall, structure-digestibility relationships provide opportunities for targeted modification of starch during food production and improving the nutritional profile of starchy foods.

Evaluation of texture, retrogradation enthalpy, water mobility, and anti-staling effects of enzymes and hydrocolloids in potato steamed bread

The functionalities of hydrocolloids and enzymes in texture, retrogradation enthalpy, water mobility and distribution, and anti-staling effects of potato steamed bread stored for 0, 24, and 48 h at 25 °C were investigated. Four kinds of hydrocolloids, including carrageenan, xanthan gum, arabic gum, sodium alginate, and one kind of enzyme (xylanase) showed little effects on the hardness reduction and springiness retention of potato steamed bread during storage, while the presence of α-amylase and lipase could slow down its staling rate. Potato steamed bread with combination of α-amylase (20 mg/kg) and lipase (40 mg/kg) exhibited the lowest hardness, with a significant reduction of 44.20%, besides improving the specific volume, L*, and overall acceptability in sensory evaluation. The addition of α-amylase and lipase could decrease the retrogradation enthalpy and bound water, and increase the mobility of mobile water. These findings shed efficient methods to retard staling of potato steamed bread.

Impact of exogenous maltogenic α-amylase and maltotetraogenic amylase on sugar release in wheat bread

The use of exogenous maltogenic α-amylases or maltotetraogenic amylases of bacterial origin is common in wheat bread production, mainly as antistaling agents to retard crumb firming. To study the impact of maltogenic α-amylase and maltotetraogenic amylase on straight dough wheat bread, we performed a discovery-driven proteomics approach with commercial enzyme preparations and identified the maltotetraogenic amylase P22963 from Pelomonas saccharophila and the maltogenic α-amylase P19531 from Geobacillus stearothermophilus, respectively, as being responsible for the amylolytic activity. Quantitation of mono-, di- and oligosaccharides and residual amylase activity in bread crumb during storage for up to 96 h clarified the different effects of residual amylase activity on the sugar composition. Compared to the control, the application of maltogenic α-amylase led to an increased content of maltose and especially higher maltooligosaccharides during storage. Residual amylase activity was detectable in the breads containing maltogenic α-amylase, whereas maltotetraogenic amylase only had a very low residual activity. Despite the residual amylase activities and changes in sugar composition detected in bread crumb, our results do not allow a definite evaluation of a potential technological function in the final product. Rather, our study contributes to a fundamental understanding of the relation between the specific amylases applied, their residual activity and the resulting changes in the saccharide composition of wheat bread during storage.

Investigation of starch functionality and digestibility in white wheat bread produced from a recipe containing added maltogenic amylase or amylomaltase

In the crumb of fresh white wheat bread, starch is fully gelatinized. Its molecular and three-dimensional structure are major factors limiting the rate of its digestion. The aim of this study was to in situ modify starch during bread making with starch-modifying enzymes (maltogenic amylase and amylomaltase) and to investigate the impact thereof on bread characteristics, starch retrogradation and digestibility. Maltogenic amylase treatment increased the relative content of short amylopectin chains (degree of polymerization ≤ 8). This resulted in lower starch retrogradation and crumb firmness upon storage, and reduced extent (up to 18%) of in vitro starch digestion for fresh and stored breads. Amylomaltase only modestly shortened amylose chains and had no measurable impact on amylopectin structure. Modification with this enzyme led to slower bread crumb firming but did not influence starch digestibility.

Impact of exogenous α-amylases on sugar formation in straight dough wheat bread

The use of bacterial or fungal α-amylases is common in wheat bread production to improve several quality-related parameters such as loaf volume, crust color or staling behavior. To study the impact of exogenous α-amylases on straight dough wheat bread, we quantitated mono-, di- and oligosaccharides and residual α-amylase activity in bread crumb during storage for up to 96 h. Discovery-driven proteomics of the five α-amylase preparations studied showed that only a few different amylases per preparation were responsible for the hydrolytic effect. Compared to the control, the supplementation with α-amylase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens in wheat dough preparation led to major changes in the sugar composition of bread crumb during storage with the formation of oligosaccharides like maltopentaose, maltohexaose, maltoheptaose, and maltooctaose. A residual activity corresponding to 4.0% of the applied activity was determined in the breads prepared with α-amylase from B. amyloliquefaciens, but no residual activity was detected for any of the other fungal or bacterial α-amylases from Aspergillus oryzae or Thermoactinomyces vulgaris. Whether the detected residual activity is related to the characteristics of bread staling or bread crumb properties must be clarified in further studies.

The effect of additives combination on rheological properties of dough and quality of bread with Agaricus bisporus powder

The bread with Agaricus bisporus powder has the defects of poor texture and taste, so it is necessary to optimize the appropriate additives in order to improve its quality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate improvement of the combination of vital wheat gluten, sucrose fatty acid esters and cellulase on the improved Agaricus bisporus powder bread (IABPB), with wheat bread (WB) and bread with Agaricus bisporus powder (ABPB) as control. The results of rheological properties indicated the dough samples improved with three improvers had higher solid-like behaviour than the control sample. The results of nutritional quality analysis showed that the protein and dietary fiber content of IABPB was higher than those of WB and ABPB, but the fat content was relatively low. In addition, the additives combination could effectively improve the baking quality of ABPB. Compared with ABPB without additives, the specific volume increased by 21.22%, the brightness of bread crumb increased by 8.75%, but the crumb hardness decreased by 32.57%. Furthermore, the study on texture property and water migration during the storage showed that the addition of three improvers could delay the aging of bread. Therefore, it was feasible to use additives combination as a special quality improver for ABPB, which could effectively improve its quality.

Amylose and amylopectin functionality during storage of bread prepared from flour of wheat containing unique starches

Bread crumb firming is largely determined by the properties of gluten and starch, and the transformations they undergo during bread making and storage. Amylose (AM) and amylopectin (AP) functionality in fresh and stored bread was investigated with NMR relaxometry. Bread was prepared from flours containing normal and atypical starches, e.g., flour from wheat line 5-5, with or without the inclusion of Bacillus stearothermophilus α-amylase. Initial crumb firmness increased with higher levels of AM or shorter AM chains. Both less extended AM and gluten networks and too rigid AM networks led to low crumb resilience. AP retrogradation during storage increased when crumb contained more AP or longer AP branch chains. Shorter AP branch chains, which were present at higher levels in 5-5 than in regular bread, were less prone to retrogradation, thereby limiting gluten network dehydration due to gluten to starch moisture migration. Correspondingly, crumb firming in 5-5 bread was restricted.

Novel approach to investigate the mechanical properties of crumb matrix during storage - Re-engineering of gas-free crumb pellets

Since commonly used texture profile analysis (TPA) depend on gas volume fraction, a detailed development of mechanistic relationships between firming-relevant additives and structural crumb matrix alterations often fail. Thus, a method to prepare gas-free crumb pellets was developed to exclude porosity effects. Therefore, reference white bread crumb was freeze-dried, crushed and rehydrated with either distilled water or maltose solution to the native moisture content. Freeze-dried crumb matrix, rehydrated after baking with maltose solution (0.5 g maltose/100 g flour), did not retard firming in comparison to reference pellets (crumb matrix rehydrated with water). Thus, maltose showed no functionality on pellet firming during storage. However, crumb pellets exhibited a reduced firmness, when maltose was added during dough preparation resulting in an altered crumb formation. Additionally, results demonstrated, that differences between leavening methods (chemical vs. biological) on firming kinetics were not significant, which was confirmed by comparable Avrami firming rates k.

The optimized production, purification, characterization, and application in the bread making industry of three acid-stable alpha-amylases isoforms from a new isolated Bacillus subtilis strain US586

A new alpha-amylase-producing strain was assigned as Bacillus subtilis US586. The used statistical methodology indicated that amylase production was enhanced by 5.3 folds. The crude enzyme analysis proved the presence of three amylases isoforms Amy1, Amy2, and Amy3 called Amy586. The purified amylases had molecular masses of 48, 52, and 68 kDa with a total specific activity of 2,133 U/mg. Amy586 generated maltose, maltotriose, and maltopentaose as main final products after starch hydrolysis. It exhibited a large 4-6 optimal pH, a 60°C temperature activity, and a moderate thermostability. Amy586 displayed a high pH stability ranging from 3.5 to 6. The addition of Amy586 to weak wheat flour decreased its P/L ratio from 1.9 to 1.2 and increased its dough baking strength (W) from 138 × 10^-4 to 172 × 10^-4  J. Amy586 also improved the bread texture parameters by reducing its firmness and boosting the cohesion and elasticity values. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Bacterial alpha-amylases with novel properties have been the major extent of recent research. In this paper, we managed to demonstrate that the addition of a purified amylolytic extract from the new isolated Bacillus subtilis strain US586 to weak local flour improves dough rheological proprieties and bread quality. Therefore, Amy586 can be considered as a bread making improver.

Intact and Damaged Wheat Starch and Amylase Functionality During Multilayered Fermented Pastry Making

The roles of native and damaged starch (DS) during fermented pastry making were examined by increasing the level of DS in wheat flour by ball-milling and/or by including amylase in the recipe. Increased DS levels increase laminated dough strength presumably by making less water available for the gluten. This effect was partly overcome by amylase use. During baking, a reduced resistance of the dough to gas cell expansion, as a result of enzymatic starch hydrolysis, seems responsible for increased pastry lift and improved crumb structure. Gelatinization of intact starch limits dough lift and expansion. Even at high amylase dosages structural collapse was limited, which suggests a significant role for gluten in pastry product structure formation. Differential scanning calorimetry and low-resolution ¹ H nuclear magnetic resonance experiments indicated that increased levels of starch damage and amylase use impact the amylose network in the product and respectively increase and decrease the extent to which amylopectin retrogrades during storage.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

This research article evaluates the role of intact and damaged wheat starch during the production of fermented pastry products. An expanded knowledge on starch functionality during the different pastry production steps allows for a targeted selection of additives to improve product quality and production efficiency. The results obtained in this study can contribute to the realization of industrially feasible solutions for the production of quality pastry products.

Density separation as a strategy to reduce the enzyme load of preharvest sprouted wheat and enhance its bread making quality

As preharvest sprouting of wheat impairs its use in food applications, postharvest solutions for this problem are required. Due to the high kernel to kernel variability in enzyme activity in a batch of sprouted wheat, the potential of eliminating severely sprouted kernels based on density differences in NaCl solutions was evaluated. Compared to higher density kernels, lower density kernels displayed higher α-amylase, endoxylanase, and peptidase activities as well as signs of (incipient) protein, β-glucan and arabinoxylan breakdown. By discarding lower density kernels of mildly and severely sprouted wheat batches (11% and 16%, respectively), density separation increased flour FN of the batch from 280 to 345s and from 135 to 170s and increased RVA viscosity. This in turn improved dough handling, bread crumb texture and crust color. These data indicate that density separation is a powerful technique to increase the quality of a batch of sprouted wheat.

Effects of enzymes to improve sensory quality of frozen dough bread and analysis on its mechanism

Baking quality of frozen dough is negatively affected by dough weakening and by a reduction in both yeast viability and activity during freezing and frozen storage. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of different enzymes, such as α-amylase, xylanase, celluase, glucose oxidase, and lipase on the texture and sensory quality of bread after frozen storage, as well as on dough properties, in terms of fermentation characteristics, freezable water contents and microstructure. Except for α-amylase, other enzymes improved the bread sensory quality and got higher overall acceptability, especially xylanase. Dough fermentative behavior showed that the maximum heights of frozen dough were increased by 33.2, 19.7 and 7.4%, respectively with xylanase, cellulase and lipase. Cellulase lowered gas holding ability of dough. Thermodynamic properties indicated that addition of enzyme decreased the freezable water contents in frozen dough. Scanning electronic microscopy revealed that freezing and frozen storage disrupted dough gluten network causing separation of starch granules from the gluten matrix. Inclusion of cellulase, xylanase and lipase made the frozen dough having a more continuous gluten network and smoother surface, and glucose oxidase increased the stability of the gluten work.

Functional expression of a novel α-amylase from Antarctic psychrotolerant fungus for baking industry and its magnetic immobilization

Background

α-Amylase plays a pivotal role in a broad range of industrial processes. To meet increasing demands of biocatalytic tasks, considerable efforts have been made to isolate enzymes produced by extremophiles. However, the relevant data of α-amylases from cold-adapted fungi are still insufficient. In addition, bread quality presents a particular interest due to its high consummation. Thus developing amylases to improve textural properties could combine health benefits with good sensory properties. Furthermore, iron oxide nanoparticles provide an economical and convenient method for separation of biomacromolecules. In order to maximize the catalytic efficiency of α-amylase and support further applications, a comprehensive characterization of magnetic immobilization of α-amylase is crucial and needed.

Results

A novel α-amylase (AmyA1) containing an open reading frame of 1482 bp was cloned from Antarctic psychrotolerant fungus G. pannorum and then expressed in the newly constructed Aspergillus oryzae system. The purified recombinant AmyA1 was approximate 52 kDa. AmyA1 was optimally active at pH 5.0 and 40 °C, and retained over 20% of maximal activity at 0–20 °C. The K_m and V_max values toward soluble starch were 2.51 mg/mL and 8.24 × 10⁻² mg/(mL min) respectively, with specific activity of 12.8 × 10³ U/mg. AmyA1 presented broad substrate specificity, and the main hydrolysis products were glucose, maltose, and maltotetraose. The influence of AmyA1 on the quality of bread was further investigated. The application study shows a 26% increase in specific volume, 14.5% increase in cohesiveness and 14.1% decrease in gumminess in comparison with the control. AmyA1 was immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles and characterized. The immobilized enzyme showed improved thermostability and enhanced pH tolerance under neutral conditions. Also, magnetically immobilized AmyA1 can be easily recovered and reused for maximum utilization.

Conclusions

A novel α-amylase (AmyA1) from Antarctic psychrotolerant fungus was cloned, heterologous expression in Aspergillus oryzae, and characterized. The detailed report of the enzymatic properties of AmyA1 gives new insights into fungal cold-adapted amylase. Application study showed potential value of AmyA1 in the food and starch fields. In addition, AmyA1 was immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles and characterized. The improved stability and longer service life of AmyA1 could potentially benefit industrial applications.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12896-017-0343-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Use of fermented glutinous rice as a natural enzyme cocktail for improving dough quality and bread staling

Jiu-niang (rice wine) could be used as a natural enzyme cocktail for the improvement of bread quality.

Study of water dynamics in the soaking, steaming, and solid-state fermentation of glutinous rice by LF-NMR: a novel monitoring approach

Solid-state fermentation (SSF) of starchy grain is a traditional technique for food and alcoholic beverage production in East Asia. In the present study, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was introduced for the elucidation of water dynamics and microstructure alternations during the soaking, steaming, and SSF of glutinous rice as a rapid real-time monitoring method. Three different proton fractions with different mobilities were identified based on the degree of interaction between biopolymers and water. Soaking and steaming significantly changed the proton distribution of the sample. The different phases of SSF were reflected by the T2 parameters. In addition, the variations in the T2 parameters were explained by the microstructure changes of rice induced by SSF. The fermentation time and T2 parameters were sigmoidally correlated. Thus, LF-NMR may be an effective real-time monitoring method for SSF in starch systems.

Water distribution in tofu and application of T2 relaxation measurements in determination of tofu's water-holding capacity

Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was introduced for the elucidation of tofu in the present study. After multiexponential analysis of relaxation decays, three water fractions centered at about 1.5-2.6, 24-114, and 132-305 ms were detected and identified as T2b, T21, and T22, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the data revealed that sample aggregation was dependent on solubility of coagulants and contained anions. Stepwise centrifugation and microwave drying were employed as dehydration methods. Significant correlations were observed between T21 and T22 relaxation times and water-holding capacity (WHC) in both dehydration processes, which implied LF-NMR measurements could be an efficient method for determination and prediction of tofu's water-holding capacity. Ten linear equations that could be applied in prediction of WHC for tofu were reported. LF-NMR was suggested to be a powerful tool for the study of tofu.