company news about Fungal α-amylase enhances bread quality

    Fungal α-amylase is a starch hydrolytic enzyme produced by fermentation of fungi such as Aspergillus oryzae. It can convert starch in flour and rice into soluble dextrin and maltose by precisely cleaving the α-1,4 glycosidic bonds in starch chains under mild conditions. It possesses the advantages of wide temperature adaptability and broad pH tolerance range, and is widely used in the processing of flour and rice products. Its addition can improve the extensibility and gas-holding capacity of dough, making bread, Mantou, and other products softer and more elastic, delaying aging and extending shelf life; it can also enhance the chewy texture of noodles and optimize the cooking characteristics of products such as Rice noodles and rice cakes. Compared to other amylases, it acts mildly and with strong controllability, serving as the core ingredient for unlocking quality upgrades in flour and rice products and creating stable and high-quality products, thus playing an innovative role in the industrialization process of traditional staple foods.

Bread baking

    When flour and water blend together, fungal α-amylase silently embarks on its biocatalytic journey. It precisely targets and decomposes starch molecules, generating maltose that can directly provide energy for yeast, akin to injecting high-efficiency power into the fermentation engine. This significantly enhances the metabolic efficiency of yeast, releasing strong gas during the critical period before the dough is baked, resulting in a more plump and expanded bread volume. It effortlessly overcomes industry challenges such as edge collapse and coarse texture. This process optimizes the interaction between starch and gluten, significantly enhancing the gas-holding capacity and extensibility of the dough, enabling it to form a uniform and dense honeycomb structure during baking. Simultaneously, the released reducing sugars undergo the Maillard reaction with proteins, giving the bread a golden and tempting crust and a rich, mellow caramel aroma.

Flour improvement
    Adding fungal α-amylase during the flour processing stage is akin to embedding a "quality code" into the raw material. By pre-modifying the starch structure, it enhances the process adaptability of the flour: low-gluten flour acquires superior extensibility, easily supporting complex shapes in pastries; high-gluten flour forms a stronger gluten network, effectively trapping gas. This improvement not only boosts the efficiency of dough mixing and shaping in industrial production lines but also mitigates quality variations in raw wheat caused by different origins and harvest years, ensuring that each batch of flour consistently produces end products with uniform volume and fine texture.

Rice processing
    When technology expands into the rice sector, fungal α-amylase demonstrates its adaptability across different product categories. In the processing of instant rice, it partially hydrolyzes starch branches, reducing the gelatinization temperature. This not only preserves the complete granular texture and natural aroma of rice but also effectively lowers the viscosity of the rice. Baby rice noodles leverage its moderate enzymatic hydrolysis to convert macromolecular starch into easily absorbable small molecular sugars, improving the mixing and dissolving performance. This not only retains the nutrition of rice but also reduces the gastrointestinal pressure on infants and young children. In emerging rice milk beverages, the enzymatic hydrolysis products can inhibit the precipitation and stratification caused by starch retrogradation, resulting in a stable and smooth drinking experience.