What are enzymes?

Clean label

1. No artificial additives 2. Simple ingredient list 3. Minimized processing

Processing aids function to improve the quality of the product during processing but do not remain in the final product because they are often destroyed or removed during processing. Regulatory requirements do not require such substances to be listed on product labels, so the use of processing aids instead of chemical additives provides a new approach to clean labeling of food products.
Enzymes are the most commonly used class of processing aids. During the baking process, baking enzymes, which perform improved functions, are destroyed by high baking temperatures and therefore do not need to be declared on the label. Therefore, baking enzymes present an opportunity to achieve clean labeling for baked goods.
In the past, natural enzymes were traditionally used in bread manufacturing to prolong the fermentation time. Natural enzymes in wheat flour break down starch, proteins, non-starch polysaccharides and lipids, resulting in better quality baked breads with a more flavorful and nutritious taste. Today, enzymes are recognized by industry as important processing aids, for example, in dough handling to control moisture loss and thus extend product shelf life.
Baking enzymes for clean labeling
1. Lipase reduces fat requirements in bakery products To meet consumer demand, the bakery industry has been trying to reduce the amount of fat in its products. However, fat plays a number of functional roles in the processing of cakes, cookies and pastries and plays a key role in the final product’s texture and shelf life. Therefore, if the fat content is reduced in baked goods, other ingredients need to be added to compensate for these functions.

Fat is a lubricant that helps soften dough and enhance dough flow in breads and cookies without sticking. Reducing fat content in a recipe can result in dough sticking to molds and transfer surfaces, increasing dough waste and requiring additional cleaning. Emulsifiers can be used to replace some of the functions of fat, but emulsifiers are food additives that must be included in the ingredient list of a product and are likely to be objectionable to consumers.

Lipases, which can enzymatically dissolve fats and oils in flour ingredients to obtain the fat, are used in bread and cake making to reduce the amount of fat needed in recipes. Experiments have shown that the better the gas chamber stability, the faster the expansion of air bubbles, the larger the volume of the bread. That is, with the addition of lipase to the dough, the bread improved in volume and the crumb quality increased significantly.
2. Amylase reduces sugar demand in baked goods As with fats, reducing the sugar content of products is a priority for many bakers. Similarly, sugar plays a number of functional roles in the processing of cakes, cookies and pastries, such as providing flavor, controlling the viscosity of the batter, moisturizing, and providing color through the Meladic reaction, to name a few. However, excessive amounts of sugar can alter the kinetic processes in fermentation and can lead to problems in automation.

In today’s world where people are constantly looking for healthier ideas, it is the use of enzymes to produce sweetness in baked goods rather than adding sugar directly that falls under the clean label for baked goods. For example, yeast uses fermentable sugars produced by amylase to form dough in a more controlled manner, with slower carbon dioxide production preventing damage to the fragile network of air bubbles within the gluten.
Amylase works slowly to maintain the sugar balance until the yeast is inactivated at around 55°C. After the yeast is inactivated amylase continues to produce sugar until amylase is inactivated during the baking process. In this way, a small amount of sugar is present in the dough, which facilitates the Meladic reaction where the crust turns brown and provides some flavor.
3. xylanase increases fiber content in baked goods Fiber is good for your health, so many bakers try to increase the fiber content in baked goods. However, fibers like bran absorb a lot of water and do so at a slower rate than other ingredients in the dough.
As the fiber absorbs moisture, the dough tightens, making handling difficult. The inability of the dough to expand restricts the action of the yeast, which in turn leads to poor bread quality and poor molding. In response to these problems, xylanase breaks the glycosidic bonds between large fiber chains to release low molecular weight sugars and water. This helps to slowly soften the dough, redistribute water, enhance air chamber ductility and stability, and improve dough workability.

In addition, in baked goods, glucose oxidase and lipoxygenase are beneficial for strengthening gluten; glutamine transferase can be used to fortify wheat flour proteins; protease breaks down peptide chains into small peptides and amino acids, which softens cookie dough for better flow; asparaginase, which reduces acrylamide levels in baked goods, and so on.

Enzymes used in food production applications are becoming more and more widespread, the types of enzymes used in the baking field is also more and more, baked goods are with the development of enzymes step by step towards the ranks of clean labeling.