New Enzyme Prep Extends Breads Shelf Life By 2 Weeks

AHRENSBURG, GermanyWhen it comes to fresh bakery productsspecifically breadsconsumers make their purchasing decisions on the breads appearance, taste, smell, crispness of the crust, and most importantly, the elasticity and softness of the crumb. Therefore, prolonging the shelf life of baked goods allows manufacturers to not only meet consumer demand but also increase profitability.

To help achieve this, flour treatment specialist Mühlenchemie has developed Alphamalt Fresh, a new enzyme preparation that can prolong the shelf life of industrially produced bread by up to 15 days. Alphamalt Fresh prevents recrystallization of the amylopectin content of the starch that has gelatinized during baking and keeps the crumb soft for a longer period, which reduces the amount of bread that becomes stale.

As reported by Food Ingredients First, smaller amylose molecules migrate out of the starch grain into its surroundings and recrystallize soon after baking, whereas, the larger amylopectin molecules initially remain in their non-crystalline form. At low temperatures, amylopectin crystallizes causing subsequent hardening of the crumb.

Alphamalt Fresh breaks down the parts of the amylopectin that can crystallize. Moreover, the resulting short-chain dextrins are able to interact with the remaining coiled structures of the starch and inhibit its crystallization. If Alphamalt Fresh is combined with emulsifiers or enzymes that optimize the volume of the bread and the bread structure as it appears immediately after baking, an even longer shelf life of up to three weeks can be achieved.