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Xylanases as flour improvers 
Tests were developed to help companies make better use of flour improvers to enhance the quality of their baked goods. In breadmaking, for example, xylanases can improve loaf volume and crumb texture by solubilising wheat cell wall polysaccharides and improving gluten performance. But wheat flour naturally contains several components that inhibit xylanases - limiting the usefulness of commercial xylanase preparations. The new tests will enable millers and bakers to measure this inhibition and optimise xylanase usage. They allow comparison of the effects on xylanase activity of different batches of wheat. By assessing the ratio of activity of a pure xylanase extract to its reduced activity on addition to flour, the inhibition is expressed as a simple ‘relative inhibitor activity’. The approach also allows comparisons between different batches of wheat to assess natural variation in the effect of endogenous enzyme inhibitors between harvest years, to see how this contributes to observed differences in flour quality. The understanding of xylanase inhibition that this project is generating will help companies to pre-empt problems in using these flour improvers whilst the objective measurement of inhibition will facilitate better communication between supply chain partners. Contact: Neal Matthews |