Baking Enzyme Series 4: Xylanase
Xylanase is a once magical enzyme for baking. It improves dough handling and bread volume by breaking down hemicellulose in flour, enhancing gluten strength and water absorption.
1 min read
Xylanase: once a magic enzyme for baking
When AI is asked about the benefits of baking enzymes, it often mentions enhancing dough stability and elasticity, increasing loaf volume, and achieving a softer and uniform crumb texture for almost all the enzymes. Since there are so many enzymes available, novice bakers who are not familiar with enzymes may find it challenging in selecting the appropriate enzymes for their specific products.
Xylanase is one of the enzymes that were initially considered game changers for baking. It is widely recommended by flour “experts” as a one-fits-all enzyme, although its working mechanisms are seldom explained. However, many users complained that xylanase did not improve their baking applications as expected. What happened?
Xylanase is an enzyme that breaks down xylan, a cell wall-forming polysaccharide/fiber in plant-based food such as wheat flour, into shorter-chain xylan and ultimately xylose. By breaking down xylan, xylanase enhances the gluten network, leading to a better texture and increased gas retention during fermentation. In addition, it facilitates better fiber absorption and digestion.
Regular wheat flour contains less than 3% fiber, which results in less than one gram of fiber per slice of white bread. In contrast, whole wheat bread offers approximately 2 grams of fiber per slice. Consequently, using xylanase in baked goods made with regular flour may not yield significant benefits as expected.
Xylanase is not a panacea that is suitable for all baking applications. In general, it is a powerful enzyme for high fiber baked goods, and its effectiveness varies with flour types and baking conditions. As a clean-label additive, it is often labeled as “enzymes” or “natural enzymes.” Bakers should ask good questions to ensure commercial dough conditioner mix suits their applications.
In conclusion, each enzyme works uniquely ( such as amylase; protease, glucose oxidase and lipase), and most are only effective for specific products. Knowing your products and enzymes is vital for bakers to deliver high and consistent quality.
