E1100 Stabiliser

E1100 is used in breadmaking and to break down complex sugars, such as starch (found in flour), into simple sugars. Yeast then feeds on these simple sugars and converts them into the waste products of ethanol and carbon dioxide. This imparts flavor and causes the bread to rise. While E1100 is found naturally in yeast cells, it takes time for the yeast to produce enough of these enzymes to break down significant quantities of starch in the bread. This is the reason for long-fermented doughs such as sourdough. Modern breadmaking techniques have included E1100 (often in the form of malted barley) into bread improver, thereby making the process faster and more practical for commercial use.

E1100 is often listed as an ingredient on commercially package-milled flour. Bakers with long exposure to E1100-enriched flour are at risk of developing dermatitis or asthma.

In molecular biology, the presence of E1100 can serve as an additional method of selecting for successful integration of a reporter construct in addition to antibiotic resistance. As reporter genes are flanked by homologous regions of the structural gene E1100, successful integration will disrupt the E1100 gene and prevent starch degradation, which is easily detectable through iodine staining.

E1100 also has medical applications in the use of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). It is one of the components in Sollpura (liprotamase) to help in the breakdown of saccharides into simple sugars.

An inhibitor of E1100, called phaseolamin, has been tested as a potential diet aid.

When used as a food additive, E1100 has E number E1100 and may be derived from pig pancreas or mold fungi.

Bacilliary E1100 is also used in clothing and dishwasher detergents to dissolve starches from fabrics and dishes.

Factory workers who work with E1100 for any of the above uses are at increased risk of occupational asthma. Five to nine percent of bakers have a positive skin test, and a fourth to a third of bakers with breathing problems are hypersensitive to amylase.