New Enzyme Solves Rye’s "Water War": Boosts Volume 24% and Ends Line Stickiness

Producing high-fibre or rye-based breads involves a fundamental chemical battle.

High concentrations of non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs), specifically insoluble arabinoxylans, compete with proteins for available water.

This results in poorly hydrated gluten, low mechanical stability, and a characteristic “stickiness” that fouls high-speed automated equipment.

Kerry has released Biobake™ Fibre, an enzymatic solution engineered to restructure these polysaccharides without degrading the dough matrix.

Selective Hydrolysis: The enzyme targets insoluble arabinoxylans, breaking them down into high-molecular-weight soluble fractions.
Phase Conversion: This conversion reduces the water-binding capacity of the NSPs, effectively “unlocking” water that was previously trapped.
Redistributed Hydration: Released water becomes available for gluten and starch hydration, optimizing the dough’s rheology.
Viscosity Control: The newly created soluble fractions increase the viscosity of the aqueous phase, reinforcing rather than weakening the dough structure.

For production managers, this chemistry translates directly to uptime.

By neutralizing the water competition, the dough loses its excessive tackiness, ensuring continuous flow through dividers and moulders.

The benefits extend to the final product, where the optimized hydration yields a 24% increase in specific volume and a 55% improvement in crumb softness, significantly reducing waste during slicing and packaging.

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