Effect of formulation on rice noodle quality: Selection of functional ingredients and optimization by mixture design

Retrogradation-induced physicochemical changes in pre-cooked rice noodles stored at different temperatures: a viewpoint from water dynamics and structure

BACKGROUND

There has been significant interest in pre-cooked noodles that have a long shelf life and are convenient to cook. However, the thermal processes during preparation, and their high moisture content, can lead to significant quality deterioration during storage. Nevertheless, a comprehensive evaluation of these quality losses has not yet been conducted.

RESULTS

The effects of different storage temperatures (25, 4, and -20 °C) on the retrogradation-related physicochemical changes in pre-cooked rice noodles were elucidated mainly from the water dynamics and structural viewpoints. Thermal analysis demonstrated that amylopectin recrystallization took place in the noodles stored at refrigerated temperature, followed by room temperature. The refrigerated storage accelerated the starch retrogradation that caused the water molecules to become entrapped within the crystalline structure by lowering the water hydration properties and weighted T2 relaxation times of the pre-cooked noodles. These water mobility patterns were correlated with the textural changes in the noodles (greater hardness and Rmax /extensibility). Furthermore, the higher structural density and thickness derived from starch retrogradation were observed in the tomographic and microscopic images of the refrigerated noodles. The principal component analysis demonstrated that various physicochemical changes of the pre-cooked noodles during storage showed high correlations with the degree of starch retrogradation (r > 0.83).

CONCLUSION

The physicochemical features of the precooked noodles stored under refrigerated conditions were involved in the molecular dynamics of water, showing a notable water mobility reduction derived from the starch retrogradation, which contributed to their thermal, tomographical, and textural changes. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

The use of hydrogel structures in production of extruded rice and investigation of its qualitative characteristics

The aim of this study was to investigate the quality parameters of extruded rice containing hydrogel and comparing with natural rice (Hashemi variety rice). Extruded rice was produced with composite hydrogel (gellan, xanthan and sodium alginate) at the concentrations of 0.0 (control sample), gellan (0.5%)-alginate (0.5%) (GA1), gellan (1%)-alginate (1%) (GA2), gellan (0.5%)-alginate (0.5%)-xanthan (0.1%) (GAX 1%), and gellan (1%)-alginate (1%)-xanthan (0.2%) (GAX2%). The use of hydrogels had no significant effect on moisture content, ash content, cooking time, and color properties of extruded rice (p ≥ .05). In contrast, hydrogel significantly increased water absorption ratio (WAR), water solubility index (WSI), water absorption index (WAI), and textural properties (p ˂ .05) of extruded rice. This observation supports the highest score found for extruded rice containing GA2% and GAX2% in sensory properties, which were similar to natural rice. GA2% rice sample showed the similar texture characteristic, cooking feature, and color parameter to natural rice, ultimately, showing better organoleptic properties.

Recent Applications of Mixture Designs in Beverages, Foods, and Pharmaceutical Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Design of Experiments (DoE) is a statistical tool used to plan and optimize experiments and is seen as a quality technology to achieve products excellence. Among the experimental designs (EDs), the mixture designs (MDs) stand out, being widely applied to improve conditions for processing, developing, or formulating novel products. This review aims to provide useful updated information on the capacity and diversity of MDs applications for the industry and scientific community in the areas of food, beverage, and pharmaceutical health. Recent works were selected following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA) flow diagram. Data analysis was performed by self-organizing map (SOM) to check and understand which fields of application/countries/continents are using MDs. Overall, the SOM indicated that Brazil presented the largest number of works using MDs. Among the continents, America and Asia showed a predominance in applications with the same amount of work. Comparing the MDs application areas, the analysis indicated that works are prevalent in food and beverage science in the American continent, while in Asia, health science prevails. MDs were more used to develop functional/nutraceutical products and the formulation of drugs for several diseases. However, we briefly describe some promising research fields in that MDs can still be employed.

Optimization of soy protein isolate, microbial transglutaminase and glucono-δ-lactone in gluten-free rice noodles

BACKGROUND

Rice flour does not contain gluten and lacks cohesion and extensibility, which is responsible for the poor texture of rice noodles. Different technologies have been used to mitigate this challenge, including hydrothermal treatments of rice flour, direct addition of protein in noodles, use of additives such as hydrocolloids and alginates, and microbial transglutaminase (MTG). Recently, the inclusion of soy protein isolate (SPI), MTG, and glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) in the rice noodles system yielded rice noodles with improved texture and more compact microstructure, hence the need to optimize the addition of SPI, MTG, and GDL to make quality rice noodles.

RESULTS

Numerical optimization showed that rice noodles prepared with SPI, 68.32 (g kg^-1 of rice flour), MTG, 5.06 (g kg^-1 of rice flour) and GDL, 5.0 (g kg^-1 of rice flour) gave the best response variables; hardness (53.19 N), springiness (0.76), chewiness (20.28 J), tensile strength (60.35 kPa), and cooking time (5.15 min). The pH, sensory, and microstructure results showed that the optimized rice noodles had a more compact microstructure with fewer hollows, optimum pH for MTG action, and overall sensory panelists also showed the highest preference for the optimized formulation, compared to other samples selected from the numerical optimization and desirability tests.

CONCLUSION

Optimization of the levels of SPI, MTG, and GDL yielded quality noodles with improved textural, mechanical, sensory, and microstructural properties. This was partly due to the favourable pH value of the optimized noodles that provided the most suitable conditions for MTG crosslinking and balanced electrostatic interaction of proteins. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Background, Applications and Issues of the Experimental Designs for Mixture in the Food Sector

BACKGROUND

Mixtures play a key role in Food Science and Technology. For studying them, rational approaches should be used. In detail, the experimental designs for mixtures are useful tools for studying the effects of ingredients/components in formulations.

RESULTS

Food Science and Technology is the fourth category among the total records considered in this review. The applications span from food formulation to the composition of modified atmosphere, shelf-life improvement and bioactives extraction. However, the majority of the studies regards few products and ingredients. Simplex-lattice and simplex-centroid designs are the most common used, although some optimal designs, such as the D-optimal, have also interesting applications. Finally, some issues are highlighted, which basically regard the interpretation of the models coefficients and the lack of model validation.

CONCLUSION

In the last decade, mixture designs have been fairly used in the field of Food Science and Technology. Modeling the response(s) allows researchers to achieve a global knowledge of the system under study within the defined experimental domain. However, the majority of application has regarded limited classes of products, and thus an increase in the spectrum of applications is desired.

Effects of food hydrocolloids on quality attributes of extruded red Jasmine rice noodle

The aim of this study was to examine the quality characteristics of extruded red Jasmine rice flour (RJF) noodle that had been prepared with hydrocolloids, namely guar gum (GG), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and xanthan gum (XG) at the concentrations of 0.0 (control sample), 0.2, and 0.4% (w/w), respectively. The use of hydrocolloids had no effect on total phenolic contents, antioxidant properties (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP), color, and X-ray diffraction patterns (p > 0.05). In contrast, the hydrocolloids tended to increase the expansion ration of the noodle. GG and CMC improved cooking, textural, and sensory properties. Ultimately, 0.2%-GG showed the lowest cooking loss (5.07%) when compared with others. Moreover, it also provided the noodle with better textural properties such as tensile strength, extensibility, hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness (p < 0.05). For these reasons, the highest acceptability (6.75) for the noodle was achieved with GG02. XG resulted in lower overall acceptability (5.05), particularly the 0.4%-XG recipe (p < 0.05). Thus, usage of 0.2%-GG was the best option for improving the qualities of extruded RJF noodle. XG was deemed ineffective for improving the noodle.

Pasting behaviour of high impact ball milled rice flours and its correlation with the starch structure

The effects of rotational speed and milling time on pasting profile, particle size and morphology, damaged starch and gelatinization enthalpy of modified rice flours were analysed by response surface methodology to investigate the relationships among functional attributes and starch structure. Morphological changes were corroborated by scanning electron microscopy. Peak time (Pt), pasting temperature (PT), peak and final viscosities from rapid visco-analysis showed a significant decrease with increasing of milling severity. The reduction in final viscosity (FV up to 4770 mPa s), particularly for the refined flour fraction (volume median diameter, D50 < 140 µm), evidenced the poor capacity of damaged starch to bind water during heating step. In comparison with native flour, the modified flours presented higher values of damaged starch (DS 5.94-16.46%), and viscosities as well as lower values of gelatinization enthalpy (ΔH 4.67-0.71 J/g), Pt and PT denoting a lower resistance to shear stress and cooking. Such behavior is desirable in mixture design to enhance flour particles dispersion and to facilitate the interaction among food ingredients. Structural changes of starch were strongly associated to pasting behavior as it can be appreciated from the significant correlations founded: FV-DS, setback viscosity (SB)-DS, SB-D50, SB-ΔH. Planetary ball milling is a novel green method to obtain physically modified rice flours with distinctive characteristics regarding native flours, which could be well controlled by selecting suitable milling conditions. More studies should be required to expand the applications of the modified rice flours, in food and non-food products, with specific functional requirements.

Textural and physical properties of retort processed rice noodles: Influence of chilling and partial substitution of rice flour with pregelatinized high-amylose maize starch

This study investigated the influence of pregelatinized high-amylose maize starch and chilling treatment on the physical and textural properties of canned rice noodles thermally processed in a retort. Rice noodles were prepared from rice flour partially substituted with pregelatinized high-amylose maize starch (Hylon VII™) in the ratios 0, 5, 10, and 15% (wt/wt). High-amylose maize starch improved the texture and brightness of fresh (not retorted) noodles. Chilling treatment led to significant (P ≤ 0.05) improvement in the texture of fresh noodles at all levels of substitution with high-amylose starch. The highest hardness was recorded at 15% amylose level in chilled nonretorted noodles. Retort processing induced a major loss of quality through water absorption, retort cooking loss, decreased noodle hardness, and lightness. However, the results showed that amylose and chilling treatment positively reduced the impact of retorting. For each level of amylose substitution, a low retort cooking loss and increased noodle hardness were associated with a chilling treatment. For both chilled and nonchilled noodles, retort cooking loss and hardness increased with increasing levels of amylose substitution.

Effect of hydrothermal treated corn flour addition on the quality of corn-field bean gluten-free pasta

Corn semolina supplemented by field bean semolina in ratio of 2/1 (w/w) were used for obtaining protein and fiber enriched gluten-free pasta. The effect of hydrothermal treatment of corn flour on its applicability as gluten-free pasta improver was tested. A central composite design involving water hydration level and the amount of hydrothermal treated corn flour were used. Instrumental analyses of pasta (cooking loss, water absorption capacity, hydration and pasting properties, textural parameters and microstructure) were carried out to assess the impact of experimental factors. Results showed that hydrothermal treatment of corn flour affected in different extent on pasta properties, improving cooking and textural characteristics of pasta. The optimum formulation of corn-field bean contained 7.41 g of treated corn flour and 77.26 mL of water was selected on the base of desirability function approach with value of 0.825 which showed the best pasta properties. Obtained results showed also that addition of treated flour induced significant differences (p < 0.05) in all parameters in comparison with control pasta.

Effect of Ingredients on the Quality of Gluten-Free Sorghum Pasta

Sorghum is an underutilized cereal in human food production, despite its flour being a potential gluten-free (GF) source in the development of several foods. Thus, the aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the effects and interactions of different ingredients on cooking quality and texture of GF pasta. Egg albumen (A), egg powder (E), xanthan gum (X), and pregelatinized corn starch (P) were used as ingredients, and Box-Behnken experimental design was applied to study the effects of these ingredients on pasta cooking behavior, color, and texture attributes. Responses were fitted to a second order polynomial equation, and multivariable optimization was performed using maximization of general desirability. Next, optimal formulations were validated, compared with two commercial gluten-free pastas by sensory evaluation, and finally, an industrial assay was carried out. Regression coefficients indicated that A and P improved cooking properties while A and E contributed the most to improving the pasta textural properties. As, X and P effects varied depending on the kind of sorghum flour used, the optimal formulations levels were different, but in both cases these models were satisfactory and capable of predicting responses. The industrial assay was carried out with white sorghum flour because it showed a higher acceptability in the sensory evaluation than brown sorghum flour pasta. This industrially made pasta resulted in slightly better cooking properties than the laboratory produced one, with the formulation adapting well to the conventional wheat pasta industrial process. Gluten-free sorghum pasta was produced, showing good cooking and textural properties and being a suitable option for gluten-sensitive individuals.