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Evaluation of Starch Properties of Wheats Used for Chinese Yellow-Alkaline Noodles in Japan

¹Technology and Marketing Dept., Wheat Flour Div., Nisshin Flour Milling Co., Ltd., 19-12, Koami-Cho, Nihonbashi, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo 103, Japan. Corresponding author. E-mail: akashih@mail.ni-net.co.jp ²Cereal Research Center, Nisshin Flour Milling Co., Ltd., 5-3-1, Tsurugaoka, Ohimach, Iruma, Saitama 356, Japan.

The objective of the present research was to assess the functional properties of the starches isolated from Australian prime hard wheat (PH) and hard red winter wheat (HRW) in the United States. These wheats are favorably used in Japan for the production of Chinese yellow-alkaline noodles (YAN). Starches isolated from PH showed higher amylose content than those of noodle wheat but lower than bread wheat. Analysis of swelling power showed that PH starch had lower values than noodle wheat starches but higher values than bread wheat starches. By contrast, HRW starch showed relatively higher amylose content and lower swelling power. There were large differences in the starch pasting properties between PH and HRW. High-performance size-exclusion chromatography studies on the components leached from the starch (80°C, 20 min) showed that PH starch had a somewhat characteristic leaching profile. Its peak ratio of high molecular weight region to low molecular weight region was greater than that of HRW starch. PH starch also characterized by having lower endothermal enthalpy (ΔH) in amylose-lipid transition. The eating quality assessment for YAN revealed that PH had more elastic texture than HRW. Additional reconstitution studies showed that these quality differences could be attributable to its starch properties.