Finger millet dough treated with α-amylase: Rheological, physicochemical and sensory properties

Finger millet flour doughs are treated with bacterial α-amylase by varying the concentrations of enzyme and time of treatment according to a response surface design. The response functions are the rheological (maximum force, firmness and compression energy), physicochemical (degree of gelatinization, viscosity of soluble fraction and total amylose content) and sensory attributes (hardness and stickiness) of dough. An increase in the concentration of enzyme and time of treatment markedly increases the sensory stickiness, while maximum force, firmness and compression energy decreases. Firmness is positively related to maximum force and sensory hardness (r ≥ 0.860, p ≤ 0.01) while exhibiting a negative correlation with viscosity. The optimum conditions suitable for developing a flattened product and bread spread have been computed. Enzymatic treatment is an option to modify the attributes of finger millet flour dough related to processing and product development.