Wheat Germ Lipoxygenase: Its Effect on Dough Rheology, Microstructure, and Bread Making Quality.

Extracted lipoxygenase from defatted wheat germ of commercial bread wheat along with
raw and defatted germ were used to study their effect on rheological characteristics of wheat
flour dough and bread making quality. The addition of 500 U and 1000 U of lipoxygenase
increased the water absorption from 59.5 to 62.3 and 66.7%, respectively. The dough stability
increased to 10.5 min, whereas mixing tolerance index values marginally decreased, and the
addition of raw or defatted germ did not affect the mixing profile of the wheat flour dough.
Breads with lipoxygenase were softer with a lower firmness value of 546 g when compared to
the control (594 g) and had brighter crumb as seen in the reduction in �E values from 22.34
(control) to 19.04. The addition of gluten along with the lipoxygenase showed a synergistic
effect. The specific volume of breads increased to 3.95 cc/g and the firmness values decreased
to 538 g. Scanning electron micrographs at different stages of bread processing have shown
improvement in the gluten network.