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Combined Effects of Endoxylanases and Reduced Water Levels in Pasta Production

¹Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. ²Corresponding author. Phone: (+32)-16-321634. Fax (+32)-16-321997. E-mail: kristof.brijs@agr.kuleuven.ac.be ³Grain Research Laboratory, Canadian Grain Commission, 1404-303 Main Street, Winnipeg MB R3C 3G8, Canada.

The combined effects on pasta properties of 1) varying dosages of endoxylanases (EC 3.2.1.8) from Aspergillus aculeatus and Bacillus subtilis and 2) lower levels of water during pasta dough processing were studied. The A. aculeatus endoxylanase has high selectivity toward water-extractable arabinoxylan (WE-AX), whereas B. subtilis endoxylanase preferentially hydrolyzes water-unextractable arabinoxylan (WU-AX). Pasta was produced on a microscale (50.0 g) from the semolinas of both a strong (AC Navigator) and a moderately strong (AC Avonlea) durum wheat cultivar. The levels of added water in endoxylanase-treated pastas were adjusted to obtain the same maximal farinograph consistencies as for the control pastas. The extruded pastas were dried with drying cycles at 40, 70, or 90°C. Apart from increasing levels of solubilized arabinoxylans, these treatments had little effect on the color, optimal cooking time, and firmness of the resulting pasta. High enzyme concentrations and low (40°C) drying temperature resulted in clearly or much less checked final products for the B. subtilis and A. aculeatus enzyme, respectively. Upon cooking, the enzymically formed low molecular weight arabinoxylans were retained better in the pasta strands than their equally low molecular weight arabinogalactan counterparts.