Content area
Full Text
ABSTRACT
Optimum cooking time of white salted noodles determined by sensory panel test ranged from 13.6 to 16.2 min in wheat of wild type in granule bound starch synthase (GBSS), from 16 to 17.4 min in B null in GBSS, from 11.4 to 12.4 min in commercial noodle flours, from 8.0 to 8.2 min in waxy wheat, and 14.2 min in BD double null. Both protein and starch amylose content of wheat significantly influenced water absorption for making noodles and cooking time of white salted noodles. Optimum cooking time of noodles increased as protein content of flour increased, except in waxy wheat flours. Waxy wheat flours, despite their high protein content (>17.1%), exhibited the shortest cooking time of noodles, signifying the influence of starch amylose content on cooking time of noodles. Gelalinization enthalpy of starch in noodles from waxy wheat, commercial noodle flour, and wild type wheat flour disappeared after 2, 6, and 10 min of cooking, respectively. Estimated cooking time based on the changes in amylograph onset temperature of noodles during cooking well matched with optimum cooking time as determined by sensory panel test, with a standard error of estimation of 1.23.
Cooking is a primary processing step for many prepared food products. Through the cooking process, food products become more palatable, digestible, and safe from pathogenic as well as nonpathogenic microorganisms. Cooking time is especially important for textural properties of white salted noodles. Undercooked noodles are hard and give a raw flour taste and unpleasant mouth-feel when bitten, while overcooked noodles are soft and soggy to handle and easily broken into small pieces. Accordingly, determination of optimum cooking time is essential, not only to provide valid cooking guidelines for the consumer, but also to accurately evaluate the textural properties of cooked noodles. Short cooking time is a generally desirable quality characteristic of white salted noodles, in addition to bright white appearance, soft elastic texture and smooth surface of cooked noodles (Nagao 1996).
Generally, consumers determine cooking time of noodles by observing noodle strands or tasting a few strands during cooking. Cooking time of noodles, especially dry noodles, is determined more objectively by squeezing noodle strands during cooking between a pair of glass plates and observing the disappearance of the white core...