Enzymes: The Little Molecules That Bake Bread Krishna Patel
Emily Buehler October 5, 2017
Scientific American Bio 181
September 28, 2012 Article Review 2 Science of Bread- Making
Bread- making has been a hobby for thousands of years. Most people know the fundamentals of bread- making, but how many know the science behind it? One baker, Emily Buehler, author of Enzymes: The Little Molecules That Bake Bread,” dug into the scientific process of the …show more content…
She found that flour contains a small amount of sugar. After learning that, the author thought, “Wait a minute, how is that possible? That’s not enough to make dough rise,” (Emily Buehler, Enzymes) she then continued searching for information. Soon after, Buehler figured that “the starch in the flour provides most of the sugar for fermentation, and the starch must be broken down into sugar before it can be fermented.”(Emily Buehler, Enzymes) Fermentation is a metabolic process that converts sugar to acids, gases, or alcohol. “This breakdown is the work of enzymes. An enzyme is defined as a large molecule, usually a protein, that catalyzes a biological reaction. This means that the enzyme speeds up the reaction by reducing whatever energy barrier is preventing the reaction from happening quickly and easily. “ (Emily Buehler, Enzymes) She also found that enzymes break down starch into maltose, break complex sugars into simple sugars, and break protein chains (this can happen without the help enzymes.) Amylase is the first enzyme that takes action in the dough of bread. Amylase acts on starch (amylose or amylopectin), breaking the starch chain between adjacent sugar rings. Amylases, which are found in flour, are mobilized when water is added. When yeast encounters a maltose, it absorbs it. The enzyme maltase bonds to the maltose and breaks it in two. Yeast also contains invertase, another enzyme that can break down
Emily Buehler October 5, 2017
Scientific American Bio 181
September 28, 2012 Article Review 2 Science of Bread- Making
Bread- making has been a hobby for thousands of years. Most people know the fundamentals of bread- making, but how many know the science behind it? One baker, Emily Buehler, author of Enzymes: The Little Molecules That Bake Bread,” dug into the scientific process of the …show more content…
She found that flour contains a small amount of sugar. After learning that, the author thought, “Wait a minute, how is that possible? That’s not enough to make dough rise,” (Emily Buehler, Enzymes) she then continued searching for information. Soon after, Buehler figured that “the starch in the flour provides most of the sugar for fermentation, and the starch must be broken down into sugar before it can be fermented.”(Emily Buehler, Enzymes) Fermentation is a metabolic process that converts sugar to acids, gases, or alcohol. “This breakdown is the work of enzymes. An enzyme is defined as a large molecule, usually a protein, that catalyzes a biological reaction. This means that the enzyme speeds up the reaction by reducing whatever energy barrier is preventing the reaction from happening quickly and easily. “ (Emily Buehler, Enzymes) She also found that enzymes break down starch into maltose, break complex sugars into simple sugars, and break protein chains (this can happen without the help enzymes.) Amylase is the first enzyme that takes action in the dough of bread. Amylase acts on starch (amylose or amylopectin), breaking the starch chain between adjacent sugar rings. Amylases, which are found in flour, are mobilized when water is added. When yeast encounters a maltose, it absorbs it. The enzyme maltase bonds to the maltose and breaks it in two. Yeast also contains invertase, another enzyme that can break down