Interactive effects of flour, starter and enzyme on bread dough machinability

Dough machinability of samples formulated with the enzyme principles glucose-oxidase, lipase, amylase and pentosanase/hemicellulase, and fermented with different microbial starters, was assessed by texture profile analysis and dough stickiness measurements. The individual and interactive effects of flour, enzyme and starter on the primary and secondary mechanical and surface-related parameters were evaluated, and the suitability of enzyme mixtures added to started doughs to improve dough handling characteristics and minimize adhesiveness and stickiness in flours was established. The general improving effect of the mixture of a-amylase, pentosanase and hemicellulase on most dough texture properties is particularly relevant when high-grade and/or sourer-started systems are used, because of their strong effect in decreasing hardness and adhesiveness respectively. Individual additions of glucose-oxidase and lipase cancelled out the excessive stickiness/adhesiveness of started and enzyme-supplemented doughs while the simultaneous presence of glucose-oxidase and lipase improved cohesiveness, chewiness and gumminess. The extent of the effects of this binary combination on dough mechanical characteristics was comparable to that obtained with the ternary mixture of alpha-amylase, pentosanase and hemicellulase, but avoided the deleterious effect of the latter enzyme combination on stickiness. In well-defined flour-starter systems, the enzyme supplementation of doughs constitutes a useful alternative to chemical improvers for enhancement of dough plasticity.