notícias da empresa sobre The role of Alpha Amylase in flour

    α-Amylase is a hydrolytic enzyme that catalyzes the breaking of α-1,4-glycosidic bonds within starch molecules. In flour processing, based on the difference in microbial origin, it is mainly divided into two categories: bacterial amylase and fungal amylase.

    Bacterial amylase: Mostly extracted from bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis, it is a common heat-resistant type used in industrial production. Its optimal temperature range is 70-90℃, and some heat-resistant strains can withstand short-term temperatures above 100℃, exhibiting extremely high thermal stability. Its optimal pH value is between 6.0-7.5, and it adapts well to neutral to slightly alkaline environments. This type of amylase has high catalytic efficiency, rapidly decomposing starch to produce large amounts of maltose and oligosaccharides, making it suitable for large-scale starch processing scenarios requiring high-temperature processing. However, in processes such as flour baking that require gentle enzymatic hydrolysis, its excessive activity can easily lead to over-hydrolysis of starch.

    Fungal amylase: Mainly extracted from fungi such as Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus oryzae, it is the most widely used type in flour processing and baking. Its optimal temperature is 50-60℃, with relatively weak thermal stability. Activity decreases rapidly above 70℃, and it is essentially inactive above 80℃. This characteristic of "low-temperature activity and high-temperature inactivation" allows for precise control of the enzymatic hydrolysis process, preventing excessive starch decomposition. Its optimal pH value is between 4.5-6.0, highly compatible with the natural pH of flour (usually 5.0-6.0), allowing it to function without additional pH adjustment. Furthermore, fungal amylase has a slow catalytic rate, and its product is mainly maltose, better suited to the precise requirements of starch hydrolysis in flour products, making it particularly suitable for baking products.

The Role of Fungal α-Amylase in Flour

Fungal α-amylase, with its mild, controllable, and highly adaptable characteristics, has become a core auxiliary agent for starch treatment in flour processing, solving practical pain points in production and precisely improving product quality.

I. Providing Sufficient Substrate for Yeast Fermentation

The starch in flour cannot be directly utilized by yeast and must be converted into fermentable sugars (glucose, maltose) through enzymatic hydrolysis. Fungal amylases can slowly initiate enzymatic hydrolysis at the optimal dough fermentation temperature (28-38℃). As the dough temperature rises to 50-60℃ (such as during the initial heating stage of baking), the enzyme activity reaches its peak, efficiently hydrolyzing starch into fermentable sugars. This "gradual enzymatic hydrolysis" mode continuously provides energy to the yeast, avoiding the problem of insufficient fermentation momentum caused by insufficient sugar source in traditional processes. This results in more complete dough fermentation, increasing the fermentation speed by 10%-20%, and ensuring a stable fermentation process, reducing the likelihood of dough collapse or uneven expansion.

II. Improving the compatibility between starch and gluten networks and optimizing dough processing performance.

The interaction between starch and gluten in flour directly affects the rheological properties of dough. Fungal amylases, by moderately hydrolyzing the amylopectin on the starch surface, reduce the physical binding of starch granules to the gluten network, resulting in a more uniform and elastic gluten structure. For flour with low gluten strength, fungal amylase can reduce the binding properties of starch, enhance dough extensibility, and prevent breakage and shrinkage during shaping. For flour with excessively strong gluten, its gentle enzymatic hydrolysis weakens the supporting effect of starch, reducing dough toughness and making mixing and rolling smoother. Dough treated with fungal amylase is less prone to sticking to equipment and inconsistent shaping in automated production lines, improving processing stability by more than 25% and contributing to standardized production.