E1100 - Alpha-Amylase

At a glance

• What it is: A starch‑splitting enzyme used as a processing aid or additive in many grain‑based foods.
• Where it’s used: Bread, rolls, tortillas, crackers, cereal mashes for beer and spirits, and starch syrups.
• Why it’s there: To release fermentable sugars for yeast, improve dough handling and volume, and slow crumb firming in baked goods.
• How it’s made: Usually by controlled fermentation of selected Bacillus or Aspergillus microorganisms, then purified and formulated.
• Labeling: Often appears as “amylase,” “alpha‑amylase,” or sometimes under the generic term “enzymes”; in some cases it may not be listed if used only as a processing aid under local rules.
• Safety: Evaluated by regulators; typical dietary exposure is considered safe. Occupational exposure to enzyme dusts can cause allergy in sensitized bakery workers.
• Also known as: E1100, alpha‑amylase, amylase.

Why is Alpha-Amylase added to food?

Bakers add alpha‑amylase to convert some starch in flour into simple sugars that feed yeast, helping dough rise and improving loaf volume and color. It can also keep bread softer for longer by limiting starch retrogradation, which is a key part of staling. In brewing and starch processing, it reduces mash viscosity and breaks starch into smaller carbohydrates, making mashes easier to pump and filter and enabling later enzyme steps to create fermentable sugars.

What foods contain Alpha-Amylase?

You may find alpha‑amylase in:

• Bread, buns, tortillas, flatbreads, crackers, and some pastries
• Baking mixes and fortified flours
• Breakfast cereals and cereal bars
• Beer, some spirits (during mash preparation), and nonalcoholic malt beverages
• Starch‑based sweeteners like glucose syrup

On ingredient lists it may be named “amylase,” “alpha‑amylase,” or grouped as “enzymes.” In some countries, if the enzyme is used only as a processing aid and has no technical effect in the final food, labeling may be exempt under local regulations.¹

What can replace Alpha-Amylase?

The best replacement depends on the goal:

• For loaf volume and dough strength: Bakers sometimes use longer fermentation, preferments (like poolish or biga), or sourdough. Dough conditioners such as ascorbic acid, lecithins, or mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids can support structure, though they do not break starch.
• For softness and moisture: Emulsifiers (e.g., mono- and diglycerides) and hydrocolloids like xanthan gum can help retain softness but won’t generate fermentable sugars.
• For oxidation/strengthening: Glucose oxidase is sometimes used to strengthen dough, again with different effects than alpha‑amylase.
• For “natural” enzymatic activity: Malted barley flour (naturally rich in amylases) can provide some of the same functions, though potency is less standardized.

How is Alpha-Amylase made?

Most commercial alpha‑amylase is produced by fermenting selected microorganisms (commonly Bacillus or Aspergillus species) under controlled conditions. After fermentation, the enzyme is separated from the cells and culture medium, purified, and formulated into a stable liquid or powder to meet food‑grade specifications.²

Is Alpha-Amylase safe to eat?

In the European Union, food enzymes are regulated under Regulation (EC) No 1332/2008. Enzymes like alpha‑amylase must undergo safety evaluation and be used according to good manufacturing practice for their intended technological function.³ Regulatory agencies assess the enzyme source, manufacturing process, purity, and dietary exposure. Alpha‑amylase has a long history of use in foods, and typical dietary exposure is considered safe when produced and used as intended.²³

Does Alpha-Amylase have any benefits?

• Baking: Improves fermentation, loaf volume, and crust color, and helps keep crumb softer for longer.
• Processing: Lowers mash and batter viscosity, making doughs and cereal mashes easier to handle and pump.
• Efficiency: Helps release sugars from starch, supporting yeast activity and consistent product quality.

In most baked goods, the enzyme is largely inactivated by oven heat, so it serves its purpose during mixing and proofing before losing activity in the final loaf.

Who should avoid Alpha-Amylase?

People with known enzyme allergies—or workers previously sensitized to bakery enzymes—should take care. Occupational exposure to airborne enzyme dusts (including alpha‑amylase) has been associated with respiratory allergy and asthma in bakery environments; proper controls and protective measures reduce this risk.⁴ For consumers, allergic reactions to ingested alpha‑amylase are considered uncommon because enzymes are proteins that are typically digested, though individuals with a diagnosed enzyme allergy should consult their healthcare professional.

Myths & facts

• Myth: “Alpha‑amylase is a preservative.” Fact: It doesn’t preserve by killing microbes; it modifies starch during processing to improve dough handling and texture.
• Myth: “It stays active in the finished bread.” Fact: Baking heat generally inactivates the enzyme in the final product.
• Myth: “It’s unsafe because bakers can be allergic.” Fact: Occupational allergy relates to inhaling airborne enzyme dusts; this is different from eating foods with enzyme residues, and workplaces use controls to limit exposure.⁴
• Myth: “It adds sugar to make bread sweeter.” Fact: It creates a small amount of fermentable sugars from flour starch so yeast can work effectively; the effect on sweetness is minimal.

Alpha-Amylase in branded foods

On packages, you might see E1100 listed as “amylase,” “alpha‑amylase,” or simply “enzymes.” In the U.S., when an enzyme functions only as a processing aid with no technical effect in the final food, it may be exempt from ingredient labeling, so some breads and beers may not list it explicitly.¹ Product categories where you may encounter it include sliced sandwich breads, soft rolls and buns, tortillas, crackers, ready‑to‑bake doughs, beers, and starch syrups.

References

Footnotes

1. 21 CFR 101.100(a)(3) — Food labeling; exemptions for incidental additives (processing aids). U.S. Food and Drug Administration (eCFR). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-101#p-101.100(a)(3) ↩ ↩²

2. Food enzymes: overview — European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/food-enzymes ↩ ↩²

3. Regulation (EC) No 1332/2008 on food enzymes — EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2008/1332/oj ↩ ↩²

4. Bakery work and asthma risks (including exposure to flour and enzymes) — National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bakery/default.html ↩ ↩²