Improvements in the qualities of gluten-free bread after using a protease obtained from Aspergillus oryzae

Abstract From a nutritional perspective, rice flour is one of the most valuable flours and it is suitable for preparing food for people suffering from wheat allergy. However, bread made from rice flour is very difficult to bake because it lacks gluten. We found that pre-fermenting of rice flour using Aspergillus oryzae facilitated a better formulation of gluten-free rice bread. Bread swelling was remarkably improved with a longer pre-fermenting period at 55 °C. The specific loaf volume (SLV) without polymeric thickeners after a 12 h fermentation was approximately 2.2-fold (2.98 ml/g) higher than that after 0 h (1.36 ml/g). An enzymatic assay of the batter indicated that protease activity during the pre-fermentation period increased from 0.38 to 1.44 U/ml and this activity correlated with bread swelling. Furthermore, a commercial protease from A. oryzae also produced similar results with an adequate SLV of 3.03 ml/g. Rheological analysis showed that batter treated with protease had an increased batter viscosity and decreased flour settling behavior because of the aggregation of flour particle after partial cleavage of storage proteins. These results indicated that the improved SLV was mainly because of an A. oryzae protease, which affected the batter rheology thereby improving gas retention before baking.