Combined Effect of Different Antistaling Agents on the Pasting Properties of Wheat Flour

The combined effect of α-amylase and hydrocolloids addition on the pasting properties of wheat flour was determined. A fungal α-amylase and hydrocolloids of different chemical structure (alginate, κ-carrageenan, xanthan gum, and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) were added to a wheat flour suspension and their pasting properties analysed by using a viscograph. The α-amylase action was highly dependent on the structure of the biopolymer present in the suspension, therefore the observed effects were very specific for each α-amylase-hydrocolloid pair added. The greatest modification of the pasting properties (maximum viscosity, cooking and cooling stabilities, bump area) was promoted with the addition of alginate, κ-carrageenan, and/or xanthan, nevertheless, when α-amylase was also added, a synergistic effect was only observed in the cases of κ-carrageenan and xanthan. The presence of hydrocolloids changed the wheat starch properties, and the α-amylase-starch interactions, modifying in consequence the hydrolytic activity of the enzyme on the starch.