Nutrition and protein turnover.

Wafles In the production of biscuits and waffles, gluten-weak flours are normally required. Previously there was no difficulty in obtaining such flours in Europe, but as more and more strong gluten varieties of wheat are grown in every country, this has become an area of some concern. High-gluten varieties of wheat intrinsically bind more water and this means that to achieve a lower viscosity, so as to make the dough manageable, additional water must be added. This water must be subsequently evaporated, leading to considerable energy expense and additional time. The addition of proteinase to batter can substantially reduce viscosity. For practical purposes the enzyme preparations may be added in the bakery itself or in the mill. The pH of the wafAe batter, which depends on the individual recipe, should be monitored and should not be too far from the optimum pH of the individual enzyme being used. The above review of an often-forgotten application of proteinases in this industry serves to illustrate the ever present biochemical application in these areas. Although these industries are small users of enzymes compared with the starch-processing industry, they nonetheless offer advantages and opportunities for small biochemical firms.