Cereal Chem. 71:177-182   |  VIEW ARTICLE


Effect of Flour Refinement on Raw Cantonese Noodle Color and Texture.

J. E. Kruger, M. H. Anderson, and J. E. Dexter. Copyright 1994 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Wheats representing the five major common wheat classes grown in western Canada were milled on an Allis-Chalmers laboratory mill, and individual streams were composited on the basis of ascending ash content to represent extraction rates of approximately 30, 50, 60, 70, and 75%. Raw Cantonese noodles prepared from these flours were: 1) assessed for raw noodle color with a HunterLab reflectance spectrocolorimeter, and 2) assessed for cooked noodle texture with an Instron Universal Testing Machine. Raw noodle brightness (L*) decreased, and yellowness (b*) increased with time and decreased with flour refinement for all wheat classes. Red-green chromaticity (plus/minus a*), on the other hand, was class dependent; the color in raw noodles either increased (became redder) or decreased (became greener) at 4 hr after preparation. All the raw noodles became redder after 24 hr. In general, raw noodles prepared from different wheat flours were comparably ranked in terms of brightness and yellowness for each level of flour refinement. Interaction effects between wheat class and flour refinement were minimal. Instron Universal Testing Machine textural measurements included maximum cutting stress, resistance to compression, and surface firmness. Increases in flour protein levels and strengths from the different classes were accompanied by increases in the values of textural properties of the cooked noodles. Within classes, the effects on textural properties caused by differences in flour refinement were not pronounced, with the exception of the Canada Western Red Spring class. Thus, the overall rankings of noodle quality according to color and texture are largely independent of flour refinement. A straight-grade flour can be satisfactorily used, therefore, for the comparative evaluation of the noodle-making quality of different flours.