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Pentopan^® gives your finished products improved volume, crumb structure, bloom and softness. It’s suitable for special dough-conditioning applications. You can use Pentopan^® for all types of bread and baked products. It gives superior performance in low-pH applications.

How xylanases condition dough for better bread

Arabinoxylans or pentosans play a key role in  dough formation and water absorption.  But they may also interfere with gluten development and increase viscosity. Xylanases break down  arabinoxylans  to release water  and improve  dough conditioning.  

In wheat,  non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs)  are the structural components of cell walls. They  make up about 3% of refined wheat flour and 8%  of whole-grain  flour or rye flour.  The pentosans in  NSPs  are  water unextractable  (WU-AX ) or water-extractable  (WE-AX).    

 The water-unextractable fraction can hold up to 10 times its weight in water.   It accounts for 60–75% of the arabinoxylans' total weight. This  may  explain why NSPs are responsible for up to 30% of dough's water absorption capacity. It's thought that this helps maintain  the water absorption of the  dough. But it might also interfere with proper gluten  development  by competing for water.    

Arabinoxylans consist of α-L-arabinofuranose  residues linked to a backbone chain of D-xylose residues. Xylanases break down the linear arabinoxylan backbone  and decrease the amount of water-insoluble arabinoxylans.  This hydrates the gluten, improving its development. It also redistributes water throughout the dough, for improved consistency, handling and  extensibility.     

It's also thought that arabinoxylans can increase viscosity. They crosslink with one another via ferulic acid.  So  some arabinoxylan activity is crucial to well-conditioned dough. But too much can be detrimental.    

Different xylanase families break down arabinoxylans in different ways. Some are more aggressive than others. Choosing the right xylanase for breadmaking is crucial. A xylanase needs to break down arabinoxylans enough to release bound  water. If it breaks them down too aggressively, the  dough becomes sticky.