Impact of Green Tea Extract and Fungal Alpha-Amylase on Dough Proofing and Steaming

Green tea extract (GTE) was fortified into steamed bread as a functional ingredient to enhance its nutritional values. However, GTE might inhibit α-amylase activity and interact with gluten proteins, causing adverse effects on dough development and final loaf volume. This research investigated the effects of GTE and fungal alpha-amylase (FAA) on rheofermentometer characteristics, dough inflation parameters, and the specific volume of both dough and steamed bread. Rheofermentograph showed that the fortification of GTE did not affect the gassing power of yeast while it slightly inhibited the activity of FAA. Fortification of GTE at the level of 1.0 % decreased the dough inflation parameters and the specific volume of steamed bread. On the other hand, fortification of 60 ppm FAA enhanced the dough inflation parameters and increased the specific volume of steamed bread. Addition of 60 ppm FAA was able to fully compensate for the reduction of specific volume caused by the addition of 1.0 % GTE. Fortification of 0.50 % GTE produced steamed bread whose specific volume was not significantly different from that without GTE.