Development of corn starch-gum bread for phenylketonuria patients

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inherited metabolic disease resulting from an enzyme defect that leads to failure to utilize phenylalanine and it is the most common aminoacidopathy in Turkey. There are a considerable number of individuals suffering from PKU and they need special food formulations, but the choice of special foods is limited for these people. Since the bread is the staple food in Turkey, the primary aim of this study was to develop bread formulation and procedure for PKU patients by using materials available in Turkey. To be able to produce low phenylalanine starch-gum bread, five different commercial food grade gums were added to the corn starch at 1, 2, and 3% addition levels. The addition of surfactant brought about remarkable changes in the starch dough. Loaf of the best overall quality was produced with one of the gums (xanthan gum and carrageenans mixture) at the addition level of 2%, water addition level of 105%, the final proof time of 110 min and the temperature of 30 degrees C when compared with the other gum breads. As a result, a basic formula and procedure for preparing a desirable corn starch-gum bread was reported for PKU patients.