Cereal Chem. 70:626-632   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Modification of Some Physicochemical Properties of Wheat Flour Pentosans by an Enzyme Complex Recommended for Baking.

X. Rouau and D. Moreau. Copyright 1993 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The effects of a fungal alpha-amylolytic complex containing side activities were studied on water-insoluble pentosans (WIP) and water-soluble pentosans (WSP) purified from wheat flour. This enzymatic preparation is used in breadmaking for its capacity to improve dough and bread characteristics. The enzymatic complex brought about a partial solubilization of the WIP flour cell-wall fraction, causing up to a 50% weight loss under prolonged exposure. During hydrolysis, 75% of the insoluble arabinoxylans passed into solution. The insoluble residue, resistant to the enzymatic degradation, was enriched in glucans. The swelling power of the hydrolyzed residue was double that of the intact WIP, but its water-holding capacity remained unchanged. Therefore, the amount of water retained was reduced proportionally compared to the weight loss of the WIP fraction. On the other hand, the high viscosity of WSP was dramatically decreased by the action of the enzymatic complex. The drop in viscosity during hydrolysis on a mixture of WIP and WSP was limited by the contribution of the solubilized arabinoxylans. It is apparent from these data that the so- called side activities of the enzymatic complex were mainly endoxylanase and arabinofuranosidase.