Method and composition for the prevention or retarding of staling and its effect during the baking process of bakery products

Abstract

The present invention is related to a method for the prevention or retarding of staling during the baking process of bakery products which comprises the step of adding a sufficiently effective amount of at least one intermediate thermostable and/or thermostable serine protease in said bakery products. The present invention further relates to an improver composition for the prevention or retarding of staling during the baking process of bakery products, characterised in that it comprises at least one intermediate thermostable and/or thermostable serine protease.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An improver composition for the prevention or retarding of staling during the baking process of bakery products comprising at least one intermediate thermostable or thermostable serine protease having a temperature activity optimum between 60° C. and 95° C.; wherein the ratio between the protease activity in said improver composition at optimum temperature and the protease activity at 25° C. is higher than 10. 
     
     
         2 . The improver composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the protease has a temperature activity optimum higher than 70° C. 
     
     
         3 . The improver composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the ratio between the protease activity at optimum temperature and the protease activity at 25° C. is higher than 15. 
     
     
         4 . The improver composition according to  claim 1 , wherein said protease is obtained by extraction from naturally occurring eukaryotic or prokaryotic organisms, by synthesis or by genetic engineering 
     
     
         5 . The improver composition according to  claim 1 , wherein said protease is a Taq protease, a keratinase and/or a thermitase. 
     
     
         6 . The improver composition according to  claim 1 , wherein said protease is selected from the group consisting of aqualysin I, aqualysin II, keratinase and thermitase. 
     
     
         7 . The improver composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the thermostable serine protease is a Taq protease isolated from  Thermus aquaticus  LMG 8924, a keratinase isolated from  Bacillus licheniformis  LMG 7561 and/or a thermitase isolated from  Thermoactinomyces vulgaris.    
     
     
         8 . The improver composition according to  claim 1  further comprising an anti-staling additive selected from the group consisting of thermostable α-amylase, β-amylase, intermediate thermostable maltogenic amylase, lipase, glycolsyltransferases, pullulanases and emulsifiers. 
     
     
         9 . The improver composition according to  claim 8 , wherein said intermediate thermostable or thermostable serine protease is a Taq protease and said anti-staling additive is an intermediate thermostable maltogenic amylase. 
     
     
         10 . The improver composition according to  claim 1 , wherein said improver is a bread improver.