2000

Simoinen, Taina; Tenkanen, Maija

Cereal grains are the core of human nutrition, and new products are being developed both in traditional product ranges in the bakery, rice and brewing industries and in the manufacture of new ingredients, such as snack foods, pasta and breakfast cereals. In addition, grains are a basal animal feed ingredient. In grain processing, endogenous and added enzymes have always played a decisive role in determining final product quality. For example, the germination of cereal grains, the conversion of malt into wort and beer, and the baking of bread are all mediated through enzymatic reactions. Enzymes can also be used to improve food quality to offer consumers palatable, safe and wholesome foods, as well as to improve the efficiency of food processing. The enzymes used nowadays mainly act on starch, glutein and cell-wall components. Recently other enzymes, such as lipases and oxidases, have been studied in connection with grain processing. New and better enzymes are increasingly becoming commercially available. The wider application of enzymes in food processing is anticipated to become one of the key food industry trends over the next 10 years. This symposium proceedings book includes most of the papers presented in the 2nd European Symposium on Enzymes in Grain Processing (ESEGP-2) on December 8 - 10, 1999 in Helsinki, Finland. The book contains general articles giving excellent overviews as well as more detailed scientific reports on the latest research. It covers present know-how from the carbohydrate composition and structure of grains and endogenous enzyme inhibitors to action mechanisms of endogenous and microbial enzymes, as well as the state of the art of using enzymes in grain processing. We hope that the contents of this book would be helpful for food scientists, nutritionists, plant breeders and biotechnologists as well as business and marketing experts working with grains or enzymes.