Enzymes utilization in Baking Industry
In the baking of bread, the preliminary process involves the mixing of wheat flour (mainly starch and proteins) with yeast and water. Starch consists of D-glucose units linked by α-1,4 glycosidic bonds with α-1,6 bonds at branching points, the enzymes α-amylase and β-amylase present in the flour cleave some of the α-1,4 bonds, the eventual products being glucose, maltose (a disaccharide) and some oligosaccharides, which cannot be broken down further, because of the presence of α-1,6 bonds. Glucose and maltose can then be metabolized by the yeast, and carbon dioxide is formed, which disintends the protein framework of the dough, ready for baking.