Converting Amylase Powder / Liquid

The Struggle:

The conversion of amylase powder to liquid amylase seems to be a common question we get. Sadly sometimes there is no simple definitive answer. All ingredients are not created equal. Amylase is one of those products. Amylase comes in two forms powdered and liquid. This can be very confusing if you have one type and your recipe calls for the other. So how exactly can you replace one for the other in your recipe?

“How do I replace powdered amylase for liquid amylase?” 

No Malaise with Amylase:

In a sense this is actually pretty simple. But even for me when I heard this question I thought  “I have no idea”. I did my best to work it out in my head as well as do my due diligence. Amylase is an enzyme so there must be a certain level of enzymatic activity in either the powder or liquid. I checked out the Product Data Sheet and found the enzymatic activity. Amylase is measured in amyloglucosidase units (AGU) per gram. Basically this means that 1 AGU breaks down 1 micromole amount of starch per minute. Without getting into the nitty gritty of it lets just say that 1 micromole is a very….very small amount. But thankfully our liquid amylase has 260 AGU/g. The more you use the more effective it will be. So when thinking about conversion the best, most effective way to do so would be to know how many AGU/g the powdered amylase you are trying to convert has. Do I expect everyone to have the answer to this or even the time to find this answer… no. but one tidbit I did find is that almost all commercial forms of amylase have no more than 600 AGU/g.  

So here is what I suggest everyone do when replacing the powdered amylase for our liquid amylase. Start at a 1:1 ratio and replace them. If you are making a dough add the amylase and allow it to proof for 12-24 hours. This way even if the ratio of amylase is lower the extended time will allow for more breakdown of starch and you will end up with the same product. If you want to fine tune your recipe, make 2-3 test batches that will rest for different periods of time; 12, 18, and 24 hours. Cook all of these and see which one you prefer. But most of all enjoy the benefits you get from making an amazing dough using amylase. Check out one of the recipes below to see the benefits of using amylase for yourself.

When You Want It Banana Bread

Conventional wisdom states that a banana must be extra ripe and brown to make the best tasting banana bread. The trick is, add a little amylase to convert those pesky starches into sugar and it’s banana bread any time. Make ridiculously tasty banana with green bananas, we dare ya!