Editing Amylase (section)

==Uses==

===Fermentation===
α- and β-amylases are important in [[brewing]] beer and liquor made from sugars derived from [[starch]]. In [[fermentation]], [[yeast]] ingests sugars and excretes [[ethanol]]. In beer and some liquors, the sugars present at the beginning of fermentation have been produced by "mashing" grains or other starch sources (such as [[potato]]es). In traditional beer brewing, [[malted barley]] is mixed with hot water to create a "[[Mash (beer)|mash]]", which is held at a given temperature to allow the amylases in the malted grain to convert the barley's starch into sugars. Different temperatures optimize the activity of alpha or beta amylase, resulting in different mixtures of fermentable and unfermentable sugars. In selecting mash temperature and grain-to-water ratio, a brewer can change the alcohol content, [[mouthfeel]], aroma, and flavor of the finished beer.

In some historic methods of producing alcoholic beverages, the conversion of starch to sugar starts with the brewer chewing grain to mix it with saliva.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chew It Up, Spit It Out, Then Brew. Cheers! |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/dining/09beer.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |work=New York Times | date=8 September 2009 |access-date=27 March 2013| vauthors = Wadler J }}</ref> This practice continues to be practiced in home production of some traditional drinks, such as [[chhaang]] in the Himalayas, [[chicha]]  in the Andes and [[kasiri]] in [[Brazil]] and [[Suriname]].

===Flour additive===
Amylases are 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 it into the waste products of [[ethanol]] and [[carbon dioxide]]. This imparts flavour and causes the bread to rise. While amylases are 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 amylases (often in the form of [[malted barley]]) into [[bread improver]], thereby making the process faster and more practical for commercial use.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Maton A, Hopkins J, McLaughlin CW, Johnson S, Warner MQ, LaHart D, Wright JD | title = Human Biology and Health | publisher = Prentice Hall | year = 1993 | location = Englewood Cliffs, NJ | isbn = 0-13-981176-1 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/humanbiologyheal00scho }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=February 2019}}

α-Amylase is often listed as an ingredient on commercially package-milled flour. Bakers with long exposure to amylase-enriched flour are at risk of developing [[dermatitis]]<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Morren MA, Janssens V, Dooms-Gossens A, Van Hoeyveld E, Cornelis A, De Wolf-Peeters C, Heremans A | title = alpha-Amylase, a flour additive: an important cause of protein contact dermatitis in bakers | journal = Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology | volume = 29 | issue = 5 Pt 1 | pages = 723–728 | date = November 1993 | pmid = 8227545 | doi = 10.1016/0190-9622(93)70237-n }}</ref> or [[asthma]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Park HS, Kim HY, Suh YJ, Lee SJ, Lee SK, Kim SS, Nahm DH | title = Alpha amylase is a major allergenic component in occupational asthma patients caused by porcine pancreatic extract | journal = The Journal of Asthma | volume = 39 | issue = 6 | pages = 511–516 | date = September 2002 | pmid = 12375710 | doi = 10.1081/jas-120004918 | s2cid = 23522631 }}</ref>

===Molecular biology===
In [[molecular biology]], the presence of amylase 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 for amylase, successful integration will disrupt the amylase gene and prevent starch degradation, which is easily detectable through [[Iodine test|iodine staining]].

===Medical uses===
Amylase 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sollpura|publisher=Anthera Pharmaceuticals|access-date=21 July 2015|url=http://www.anthera.com/pipeline/science/sollpura.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150718042137/http://www.anthera.com/pipeline/science/sollpura.html|archive-date=18 July 2015}}</ref>

===Other uses===
An inhibitor of alpha-amylase, called [[phaseolamin]], has been tested as a potential [[Diet (nutrition)|diet]] aid.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Udani J, Hardy M, Madsen DC | title = Blocking saccharide absorption and weight loss: a clinical trial using Phase 2 brand proprietary fractionated white bean extract | journal = Alternative Medicine Review | volume = 9 | issue = 1 | pages = 63–69 | date = March 2004 | pmid = 15005645 | url = http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/9/1/63.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110728045340/http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/9/1/63.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2011-07-28 }}</ref>

When used as a [[food additive]], amylase has [[E number]] E1100, and may be derived from [[pig]] pancreas or [[Mold (fungus)|mold]] fungi.

Bacilliary amylase is also used in clothing and dishwasher [[detergent]]s to dissolve starches from fabrics and dishes.

Factory workers who work with amylase 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.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Mapp CE | title = Agents, old and new, causing occupational asthma | journal = Occupational and Environmental Medicine | volume = 58 | issue = 5 | pages = 354–360, 290 | date = May 2001 | pmid = 11303086 | pmc = 1740131 | doi = 10.1136/oem.58.5.354 }}</ref>