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ABSTRACT
The independent effects of flour protein and starch on textural properties of Chinese fresh white noodles were investigated through reconstitution of fractionated flour components. Noodle hardness decreased with decreased protein content, whereas it unexpectedly increased as protein content decreased to a very low level (7.0%). Noodle cohesiveness, tensile strength, and breaking length increased with increased protein content. Higher glutenin-to-gliadin ratio resulted in harder and stronger noodles at constant protein content. Increased starch amylose content resulted in increased flour peak viscosity. When water absorption remained the same during noodle making, hardness and cohesiveness of cooked noodles also increased with increased starch amylose content, while springiness did not vary significantly. Increased starch damage of =5.5-10.4% effectively improved noodle hardness; however, starch damage >10.4% decreased it. Increased starch damage also enhanced noodle springiness while it decreased cohesiveness.
Cereal Chem. 88(3 ):296-301
Flour noodles including fresh white, fresh yellow, dry, and instant are widely consumed wheat (Triticum aestivum) products in China and other Asian countries. Appearance, taste, cooking quality, and texture are all critical characteristics for Asian noodle consumers. A number of studies have evaluated the effects of major flour components, protein, and starch on the textural properties of various types of noodles. High-protein noodles were firmer when cooked than low-protein noodles (Miskelly and Moss 1985; Oh et al 1985a; Crosbie et al 1999; Park et al 2003). SDS sedimentation volume is a protein quality parameter significantly correlated with maximum cutting and compression stress of cooked white and yellow Chinese noodles (Huang and Morrison 1988). Recently, Park and Baik (2009) reported that tensile strength of fresh and cooked noodles, as well as hardness of cooked noodles, increased linearly with increased gluten incorporation. In contrast to the many studies on protein and starch, very limited studies investigated the effects of protein fractions on noodle texture. Oh et al (1985a) proposed that high molecular weight glutenin accounted for the different cutting stress of cooked noodles. Hu et al (2007) investigated the effects of protein fractions on the quality of white salted noodle by statistical methods. Soluble glutenin content was positively related to cutting firmness of cooked noodle, while the insoluble glutenin content was positively correlated with thickness, hardness, and cutting firmness. In contrast, monomeric proteins composed of albumin,...