Improvement of flour quality through carbohydrases treatment during wheat tempering

Wheat flour is obtained by the milling process, which includes several steps such as cleaning, tempering, and milling. In the tempering the moisture content of wheat grains is increased to 15.5% by adding an adequate amount of water. The addition of different enzymes (cellulase, xylanase, and beta-glucanase) to the tempering solution has been tested in order to modify the quality of the resulting flour. Rheological and fermentative properties were measured by the farinograph, amylograph, and rheofermentometer. The data show that the technological parameters of the resulting flours were greatly modified by the addition of enzymes to the tempering solution. The quality of the fresh bread obtained from the carbohydrase-treated wheat was improved with regard to specific bread volume, bread shape, and crumb firmness. This method is revealed as an excellent tool to ensure a good distribution of the enzymes in the resulting flour, to control dosage during milling, and to obtain flour of specific characteristics according to their final use.