ABSTRACT
Oda et al. (1980) reported that starch characteristics are very important to the eating quality of Japanese noodles, while Oh et al. (1983) found that the protein content of flour influenced the chewiness of cooked noodles. Dexter et al. (1979) used a scanning electron microscope to study the dough structure during Japanese noodle preparation. They observed that the starch granules were more loosely held within the gluten protein matrix and the presence of 2% salt in the dough resulted in a smoother and more uniform gluten structure than that observed for unsalted dough. Toyokawa et al. (1989a) carried out a fractionation and reconstitution interchange of gluten, primary starch, tailing starch, and water solubles to investigate the role of each in Japanese noodle quality. The primary and tailing starch fractions were found to be responsible for noodle texture, with the former contributing most to the desirable vis coelasticity in noodle texture. The gluten fraction of the flour affected the noodle color but not texture, while the water-soluble fraction did not have any effect on noodle properties. Toyokawa et al. (1989b) found in a later study that an optimum ratio of amylose to amylopectin is necessary for good noodle quality, and increased levels of amylose reduced the water binding of cooked noodles, resulting in firmer noodles with loss of elasticity. High-quality Japa nese noodles have a bright, clean luster; are cream-colored; and have a soft, but elastic, texture and a smooth surface (Crosbie et al., 1990). Wang and Seib (1996), proposing a working model for starch in salted noodles, suggested that low flour protein, along with high-swelling starch, causes extra water to be imbibed inside a strand to produce a noodle with a soft bite. Moreover, low levels of amylose may be leached between granules to produce the desired elasticity.
