Abstract
Effect of enzymes on the quality of chapati – the flat unleavened bread made from different wheat varieties was studied. Doughs treated with fungal α-amylase, bacterial α-amylase, xylanase and combination of bacterial α-amylase and xylanase were examined for chapati making quality. The shear force of chapatis treated with bacterial α-amylase, xylanase, fungal α-amylase and combination of bacterial α-amylase and xylanase were in the range of 2.5–2.8 N, 2.3–2.5 N, 3.5–3.7 N and 2.2–2.5 N, respectively, and they were found to be lower and significantly different than that of their corresponding controls (4.7–6.5 N). Soluble starch and soluble amylose content of the chapatis prepared from dough treated with amylases were significantly different than that of control. Chapatis prepared from dough treated with bacterial α-amylase had shown higher amount of soluble amylose (around 0.5 g/100 g) compared to other treatments (0.2–0.25 g/100 g). In chapatis prepared from dough treated with bacterial α-amylase, and combination of bacterial α-amylase and xylanase, the amylograph paste viscosities were 38–66 BU, and were very much lower and significantly different from that of control (232–390 BU) may be due to the residual enzyme activities. The microstructures of chapatis prepared from dough treated with enzymes were uniform with distorted starch granules surrounded with protein matrix, while in control, the starch granules were spherical with protein matrix overlapping on one another to form aggregation. Chapatis prepared from dough treated with enzymes had softer texture, better pliability and higher overall quality scores compared to control.