ABSTRACT
The independent effects of flour protein and starch on textural properties of Chinese fresh white noodles were investigated through reconstitution of fractionated flour components. Noodle hardness decreased with decreased protein content, whereas it unexpectedly increased as protein content decreased to a very low level (7.0%). Noodle cohesiveness, tensile strength, and breaking length increased with increased protein content. Higher glutenin-to-gliadin ratio resulted in harder and stronger noodles at constant protein content. Increased starch amylose content resulted in increased flour peak viscosity. When water absorption remained the same during noodle making, hardness and cohesiveness of cooked noodles also increased with increased starch amylose content, while springiness did not vary significantly. Increased starch damage of ≈5.5–10.4% effectively improved noodle hardness; however, starch damage >10.4% decreased it. Increased starch damage also enhanced noodle springiness while it decreased cohesiveness.
