A Review of the Impact of Starch on the Quality of Wheat-Based Noodles and Pasta: From the View of Starch Structural and Functional Properties and Interaction with Gluten

Starch, as a primary component of wheat, plays a crucial role in determining the quality of noodles and pasta. A deep understanding of the impact of starch on the quality of noodles and pasta is fundamentally important for the industrial progression of these products. The starch structure exerts an influence on the quality of noodles and pasta by affecting its functional attributes and the interaction of starch-gluten proteins. The effects of starch structure (amylopectin structure, amylose content, granules size, damaged starch content) on the quality of noodles and pasta is discussed. The relationship between the functional properties of starch, particularly its swelling power and pasting properties, and the texture of noodles and pasta is discussed. It is important to note that the functional properties of starch can be modified during the processing of noodles and pasta, potentially impacting the quality of the end product, However, this aspect is often overlooked. Additionally, the interaction between starch and gluten is addressed in relation to its impact on the quality of noodles and pasta. Finally, the application of exogenous starch in improving the quality of noodles and pasta is highlighted.

Texture profile analysis and stress relaxation characteristics of protein fortified sweetpotato noodles

The mechanical stress relaxation and textual characteristics of starch noodles supplemented with soybean protein concentrate (SPC) was studied with an Instron texture analyzer. Noodles strength was observed to increase significantly with increased in SPC concentration from 0 to 20%. Noodles (ES30) formulated with the esterified starch and 30% SPC substitution had the highest deformation modulus index, initial break force, and maximum break force. The stress relaxation data was well fitted by the Maxwell and Peleg-Normand models though the latter was the most suited. The fitted parameters, F₃ and λ₁ had a higher sensitivity to changes in its viscoelastic properties when compared to k₂ or %SR. A significant correlation was established between the stress relaxation index and textural parameters. The result of this study suggests that starch noodles with enhanced textural and break force characteristics can be formulated with 10-20% SPC substitution. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Dried noodles are formulated from raw noodles which have been dehydrated either by hot-air drying or natural drying. It has the advantages of being low-cost, easy to cook, and longer shelf-life. Consumer's acceptance of cooked noodles depends majorly on its textural properties such as its elasticity, hardness, and smoothness. The extent of noodles hardness and its breakpoint features are an influencer of noodles breakage during packaging and shipping. The determination of modeling parameters describing these physical characteristics can help in the production of noodles with improved breakpoint index, textural features, and quality. Therefore, the effects of different percentage of SPC supplementation on the break force and stress relaxation characteristics of noodles formulated from sweet potato starch were evaluated in the present study.

Rheological, Antioxidative, and Sensory Properties of Chinese Alkaline Noodle Prepared with Regular and Whole Wheat Flour

Chinese alkaline noodle (CAN) is one of popular staple foods in Asia. Whole wheat flour (WWF) is healthier than refined wheat flour (WF). This study investigated the effect of substitution level of WWF on physicochemical and sensory properties of CAN. Results showed that increasing WWF amount significantly reduced tensile strength (TS) and extensibility (E) of cooked CAN, but increased TS/E ratio from 6.05 to 13.22 mN/mm. High WWF substitution (>60 %) significantly increased cooking loss and decreased the elasticity of CAN. CAN prepared with WWF had darker, redder and yellower color than control. However, free and bound phenolics and DPPH radical scavenging capacity of CAN obviously increased with the amount of WWF. CAN with 0–40 % WWF had similar sensory scores in color, flavor, texture and overall preferences. The study suggests that healthy whole grain CAN with higher phytochemicals and acceptable eating quality can be produced by using 20–40 % WWF.

Microbial transglutaminase in noodle and pasta processing

Nowadays, there is an aggressive rate in consumption of noodles and pasta products throughout the world. Consumer acceptability and preference of these functional products can be promoted by the discovery of novel knowledge to improve their formulation and quality. The development of fortified-formulations for noodles and pasta products based on microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) can guarantee the shelf life extension with minimum quality losses. The current review focuses on recent trends and future prospects of MTGase utilization in the structural matrix of noodles and pasta products and represents the quality changes of cooking loss, texture, microstructure, color and sensory attributes of the MTGase-incorporated products. Digestibility, nutritional and health aspects of the MTGase-enriched formulations are also reviewed with a vision toward physical functions and safety outcomes of MTGases isolated from new microbial sources. The high potential of MTGase in developing commercial noodles and pasta products is successfully demonstrated. MTGase by modifying the crystallinity or molecular structure via covalent crosslinks between protein molecules strengthens the doughs stability and the textural characteristics of final products with the low- or high-protein flour. Compared with the control samples, the MTGase-supplemented products indicate slower digestion rates and better sensory and cooking properties without any remarkable color instability.

Characteristics of granular cold-water-soluble potato starch treated with alcohol and alkali

The characteristics of cold-water-soluble potato starch (CWSS) produced using alcoholic-alkaline treatment were determined using scanning electron microscopy, rapid visco analysis (RVA), X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, storage modulus (G'), loss modulus (G″), and gel images. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a damaged crystalline structure when CWSS was suspended in ethanol. The RVA analysis of native starch showed a peak value of viscosity at high temperatures, whereas the viscosity of CWSS did not show such a peak. The DSC diagram of native starch showed a gelatinization peak temperature; however, no such peak was observed for CWSS. Cold-water solubility tremendously increased in CWSS owing to the loss of crystallinity. The values of G' and G″ in CWSS decreased with increasing temperature; the opposite was observed for normal potato starch. These results indicate that alcoholic-alkaline treatment affects the starch structure and produces totally different physicochemical properties from native starch; this makes CWSS feasible for use in a variety of food materials.

Effect of sorghum flour composition and particle size on quality properties of gluten-free bread

White, food-grade sorghum was milled to flour of varying extraction rates (60%, 80%, and 100%) and pin-milled at different speeds (no pin-milling, low-speed, and high-speed) to create flours of both variable composition and particle size. Flours were characterized for flour composition, total starch content, particle size distribution, color, damaged starch, and water absorption. Bread was characterized for specific volume, crumb structure properties, and crumb firmness. Significant differences were found (P < 0.05) in the composition of sorghum flours of varying extraction rate, most notably for fiber and total starch contents. Flour particle size and starch damage were significantly impacted by extraction rate and speed of pin-milling. Water absorption increased significantly with increasing extraction rate and pin-milling speed. Breads produced from 60% extraction flour had significantly higher specific volumes, better crumb properties, and lower crumb firmness when compared with all other extractions and flour types. The specific volume of bread slices ranged from 2.01 mL/g (100% extraction, no pin-milling) to 2.54 mL/g (60% extraction, low-speed pin-milling), whereas the firmness ranged from 553.28 g (60% extraction, high-speed pin-milling) to 1096.26 g (commercial flour, no pin-milling). The bread characteristics were significantly impacted by flour properties, specifically particle size, starch damage, and fiber content (P < 0.05).

Chemical and functional properties of cassava starch, durum wheat semolina flour, and their blends

High-quality cassava starch (HQCS) produced from high-yielding low-cyanide improved cassava variety, TMS 30572, was mixed with durum wheat semolina (DWS) on a replacement basis to produce flour samples containing 0, 20, 30, 50, 70, and 100% cassava starch. They were analyzed for chemical composition (proximate, amylose, free sugars, starch, wet gluten, and cyanide) and functional properties (pasting, swelling power, solubility, water absorption, water binding, starch damage, diastatic and α-amylase activity, dough mixing, and stability). Protein, carbohydrate, fat, and ash of flour samples ranged from 0.75-12.31%, 70.87-87.80%, 0.95-4.41%, and 0.12-0.83%, respectively. Cyanide levels in all the flour samples were less than 0.1 ppm. Amylose content varied between 19.49% for cassava and 28.19% for wheat, correlating significantly with protein (r = 0.95, P = 0.004) and ash contents (r = 0.92, P = 0.01) at 5%. DWS and HQCS had similar pasting temperatures (50.2-53°C), while other pasting properties increased with increasing levels of HQCS. Dough mixing stability of samples decreased with increasing levels of HQCS. All the flour samples had α-amylase activity greater than 200. Both HQCS and DWS compare favorably well in swelling power (7.80-9.01%); but the solubility of wheat starch doubled that of cassava. Starch damage varied between 3.3 and 7.2 AACC for semolina and starch, with the latter having higher absorption rate (97%), and the former, higher absorption speed (67 sec). Results obtained showed positive insight into cassava-wheat blend characteristics. Data thus generated provide additional opportunities of exploiting cassava utilization and hence boost its value-addition potentials for product development.

Effect of cooking on physical and sensory properties of fresh yellow alkaline noodles prepared by partial substitution of wheat flour with soy protein isolate and treated with cross-linking agents

Yellow alkaline noodles (YAN) prepared by partial substitution of wheat flour with soy protein isolate and treated with microbial transglutaminase (MTG) and ribose were investigated during cooking. Cooking caused an increase in lightness but a decrease in redness and yellowness, pH, tensile strength and elasticity values of noodles. The extents of these changes were influenced by formulation and cross-linking treatments. The pH and lightness for YAN-ribose were lowest but the yellowness and redness were the highest whilst the tensile strength and elasticity values remained moderate. For YAN-MTG, the color and pH values were moderate, but tensile strength and elasticity values were the highest. YAN prepared with both cross-linking agents had physical values between YAN-ribose and YAN-MTG. Although certain sensory parameters showed differences in score, the overall acceptability of all 10-min-cooked YAN was similar. It is possible to employ cross-linking agents to improve physical properties of cooked YAN.