Improving the breaking properties and oil absorption of breadcrumbs by microbial transglutaminase

Abstract

Microbial transglutaminase (MTG) was applied to improve the breaking properties and oil absorption of breadcrumbs made from bread prepared with added MTG (0.85-3.34 U/gram of protein). The specific volume of the bread and such sensory attributes as softness, moistness, and form stability increased with added MTG except for the highest addition, corresponding to the development of an ε(γ-Glu)Lys (G-L) bond indicative of an increased G-L content and polymerized proteinaceous components. The fried breadcrumbs containing MTG showed increased breaking strength and distance, corresponding well to the increased crispness and total acceptability from the sensory evaluation. The absorbed oil content of the fried bread-crumbs was significantly decreased with increasing added amount of MTG. The combined use of a low-level addition of MTG and such texture modifiers as wheat gluten, soybean-curd refuse, and alginic acid resulted in a further effective decrease in the absorbed oil content.