Optimization of enzymes addition to improve whole wheat bread making quality by response surface methodology and optimization technique

The functional ingredients in whole wheat flour, such as dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, have beneficial health effects. However, the excessive amount of dietary fiber in whole wheat flour inhibits gluten network formation and diminishes bread making qualities (BMQ). Adding appropriate amounts of enzymes, alpha-amylase (AM) and hemicellulase (HC), could be a solution to these problems. In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) created a response surface model and Solver (Excel add-in software) calculated the optimal amounts of the enzymes. Adding optimum concentrations of AM and HC drastically improved BMQ (gas retention of dough, specific loaf volume, and bread staling) of whole wheat flour dough and bread compared to whole wheat flour dough and bread without the enzymes. These results showed that combining RSM and Solver was an effective and reasonably easy method that determines optimal concentrations of enzymes to obtain the highest quality bread using whole wheat flour.