ABSTRACT
It is generally not helpful to discuss the immense diversity of noodle types as separate products with a catalog of specific quality traits. The food technol ogist may often be interested in new product development or in quality control of raw materials, and the wheat scientist or breeder may be interested in defin ing objectives for targeted selection. To create order out of diversity and to allow flexibility in considering new and unusual noodle variants, we will con centrate on the basic principles of noodle quality. To do this, we consider re search results on three significant classes of noodles: the Japanese form of white-salted noodles (udon), Cantonese-style yellow-alkaline noodles, and instant noodles. Many other regional or local types of noodles can be shown to be variants of these, with varying formulation, wheat quality demands, and ex pected texture and color outcomes. In particular, salted noodles other than Japanese udon, such as in China, usually have a very different texture and require wheat flour with stronger dough and possibly lower-swelling starch. Starch and protein are the keys to wheat flour quality for noodles. Noodles generally contain salt (NaCl) and/or an alkaline additive (often a mixture of sodium and potassium carbonate). The interaction of starch and protein with these components is important. Understanding how to measure and assess starch and protein quality is essential for any applied research in noodles (Baik et al., 1994; Bhattacharya and Corke, 1996; Crosbie, 1991; Huang and Morri son, 1988).
