Cereal Chem 55:321 - 331.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Modified Amylograph Test for Determining Diastatic Activity in Flour Supplemented with Fungal Alpha-Amylase.

P. M. Ranum, K. Kulp, and F. R. Agasie. Copyright 1978 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

A modified amylograph test, which uses a slurry of wheat flour and pregelatinized wheat starch as the substrate, was used to determine the diastatic activity of flours supplemented with fungal alpha-amylase. The difference in amylograph curves permitted distinction between fungal and cereal sources of the enzyme. The modified amylogram of flours with fungal alpha-amylase showed a minimum viscosity, which was inversely proportional to the amount of added enzyme. Modified amylograms of flours supplemented with cereal alpha-amylase (barley malt) exhibited an equivalent minimum viscosity, which was directly related to the peak viscosity determined by the conventional amylograph procedure. The present method is also suitable for testing alpha-amylase activity in wheat, malt, and enzyme preparations. Among the factors affecting the procedure are the type and amount of the pregelatinized wheat starch used, the level of starch damage of the flour, and the pH of the slurry.