Improvement Particle Size Fineness of Corn Flour by Addition of Papain Enzyme and Its Effects to Their Hardness, Morphology and Pasting Properties

Abstract

This study aims to improve on fineness of corn flour particle size by addition of papain enzyme and study the phenomenon of papain enzyme addition for the difference effects to their hardness, morphology and pasting properties. Hardness measurement and protein content analysis results of the two varieties of corn grits resulted from degermination show that incubation with papain on corn grits reduced grit hardness and protein content. Grit hardness reduction is due to protein matrix degradation that covers starch granular of horny endosperm. It is identified that local corn grit reduction difference is bigger than that of hybrid corn grits. Observation on morphology grits shows that there are difference in incubation effect with papain on both variety corn grits. First, local corn horny endosperm starch granular size is smaller and more homogeneous (3-7?m) than that of hybrid corn (3-12?m). Second, local corn horny endosperm granular shape is spherical while hybrid corn’s is dominantly polygonal. The association shows that hardness difference on local corn and hybrid corn does not affect directly to corn flour amylograph characteristics produced.

Keywords: Corn-flour, hardness, morphology, papain, particle-size