Components of wheat flour as activator of commercial enzymes for bread improvement

Abstract

Aqueous extracts of wheat flour and of flour made from 30 % cassava and 70 % wheat were found to influence the activity of amylases (Fungamyl® and Novamyl® were tested) and xylanases (Panzea® and Pentopan Mono® were tested), with an activation of Fungamyl® and Panzea® by a factor of two, while extract from cassava flour alone had no effect. A fractionation of the active extracts showed that high molecular weight components from wheat were responsible for increased activity, which, for Fungamyl®, was sensitive to heating of the extract at 100 °C for 15 min. For Panzea®, instead, the increase in activity was comparable for boiled and non-boiled extract. Osborne fractionation of the wheat extract showed that the highest increase in Fungamyl® activity could be assigned to salt solubilized components in the extract, while Panzea® showed an increased activity in presence of ethanol extract and propanol extract. Among the most abundant proteins in the active fractions, globulins were identified by LC–MS/MS as an enhancer of Fungamyl® activity, while the heat-insensitive component involved in enhancement of Panzea® remained unexplained.