December 9, 2009: Efficient products for optimising flour

With the ‘gluten booster’ EMCEglutenPlus and the highly concentrated and efficient carboxylesterases from the Alphamalt EFX range, Mühlenchemie presented its latest products for reducing the use of additional flour improvers and thus drastically cutting costs at Food Ingredients Europe in November.
Mühlenchemie is one of the world’s leading flour treatment specialists. Its core competence lies in devising customised solutions for standardising, improving and fortifying flour – from classic flour treatment to concentrates for ready-mixed flours.
The company offers enzyme systems, flour maturing and oxidising agents, bromate replacers, emulsifiers, vitamin and mineral premixes and functional systems for ready-mixed and composite flours.
The effect of gluten and cost cutting
In order to improve the baking properties of wheat with low gluten content, vital gluten is often added to the flour, or a mixture is made up with flour from better quality and more expensive wheat lots.
Through intensive research Mühlenchemie has succeeded in developing EMCEglutenPlus, a highly effective complex of protein fractions and enzymes that greatly improves the performance of wheat gluten – whether it is the gluten naturally present in the flour or added vital gluten.
“The use of EMCEglutenPlus makes the addition of vital gluten partly or even wholly unnecessary. And even if large amounts of gluten are needed it is possible to reduce the quantity added by at least half.
“At the same time EMCEglutenPlus permits the use of cheaper wheat varieties. In this way the ‘gluten booster’ offers great potential for cutting costs – especially as it only has to be added in very small doses of 0.03 to 0.3 percent”, says Dr Lutz Popper, head of Research and Development.
EMCEglutenPlus prolongs the stability of the dough, optimises its development and improves its machinability. It also enlarges the baked volume of yeast-leavened products. There is no need to adjust the amount of baking improver added.
Better emulsification brings financial benefits
Although lipids only make up 1–2.5 percent of wheat flour, a small proportion compared to starch and protein, Mühlenchemie has made a close study of these substances in order to optimise the baking potential of flours.
Flour contains a complex mix of polar and non-polar lipids that interact with the starch and proteins of the gluten during preparation and baking of the dough. The ideal volume of the bread depends on the quantity of lipids and the ratio of non-polar to polar lipids, the non-polar fraction having an unfavourable effect on baked volume.
This is where Alphamalt EFX Mega comes in, as Dr Lutz Popper explains. “The enzyme splits the non-polar lipids naturally present in the flour into mono- and diglycerides.”
“The polar lipids, on the other hand, are split into molecules with a more strongly hydrophilic effect. This results in a distinct shift in favour of the baking-active polar lipids, which have similar structures to emulsifiers. They synergise with the emulsifier and boost its effect.
“This means that less emulsifier is needed, and production costs are reduced.”
Alphamalt EFX Mega compensates for fluctuating flour qualities, improves dough stability and increases the volume of the baked goods, he says.
A passion for flour
Mühlenchemie was established in 1923 and has been a member of the independent, owner-managed Stern-Wywiol Gruppe since 1990.
The company exports products to over 120 countries and maintains close relations with more than 1000 mills worldwide. The company’s all-round service ranges from various products for improving and fortifying flour to advice on equipping trial bakeries and rheological laboratories.
It also includes training courses and seminars in the field of flour treatment and flour standardisation. At the foreign affiliates in Mexico, Singapore, India, China, Russia and Spain a team of experts supports mills on the spot and offers individual solutions to ensure optimum flour quality.
The company standardises over 50 million tons of wheat a year.
Mühlenchemie’s passion for flour is also reflected in the flour art museum in Wittenburg, opened in 2008, where the company presents the world’s biggest flour sack collection with loving attention to detail. 1925 exhibits from 115 countries document the cultural value of wheat – from its historical importance as a basic food to the spiritual significance of corn.
At the Technology Centre in Ahrensburg, near Hamburg, with an area of over 2000m², the focus is on the functional and economic importance of flour.
Research scientists and applications technologists work on innovations for the future. It is here that pioneering solutions in the field of enzyme technology are devised for bread and other baked goods. They include the well-known preparations Alphamalt, Powerzym, Sternzym, Pastazym and Tigerzym.
When developing new products the company benefits from interdisciplinary cooperation within the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe. An exchange of information with its sister firms, results in tailor-made solutions in response to virtually any needs.

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