Influence of Amylase Addition on Bread Quality and Bread Staling

In this study, the effect of two amylases (maltogenic amylase and maltotetraose-producing amylase) on the rheological properties of wheat flour as well as on the quality and staling of partially baked bread is investigated. The rheological measurements obtained from a Viscograph showed that both amylases reduced the peak viscosity, final viscosity, and setback viscosity of wheat flour, whereas maltotetraose-producing amylase significantly improved the specific volume of fresh bread. Furthermore, the addition of both types of amylases was able to reduce crumb firmness and amylopectin retrogradation, due to their ability to partially hydrolyze starch molecules and generate low molecular weight dextrin, which was confirmed by the analysis of the maltooligosaccharide composition of the breads. The results indicated that the effects of maltotetraose-producing amylase were more pronounced than those of maltogenic amylase in terms of slowing bread staling.