Studies on the bread-improving mechanism of fungal alpha-amylase

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Abstract
With the aid of techniques that have become available in recent years, our studies have confirmed some of the suggestions made in the late 1940s regarding the beneficial effects of fungal α-amylase (FAA). We have shown that the improving action of FAA is related to the amylase component acting upon newly gelatinizing starch, so that the fluidity of the dough is retained long enough to allow greater expansion. In its improving action, FAA seems very similar in function to the more traditional malted wheat or barley amylase, the only difference being the absence of red-staining dextrin formation due to the lower thermal stability of FAA. The specificity of the FAA-catalyzed reaction plus the more desirable thermal inactivation characteristics of the enzyme, make it doubtful that a more efficient alternative means of bread improvement by this mechanism could be devised. The improving action of breaking down starch granules as they begin to gelatinize is one that is unlikely to be affected substantially by changes in wheat variety or growing climate (unlike cereal α-amylase), thereby promoting confidence that unexpected failure in FAA's improving effect will not occur.