Navigating Noodle Texture: Taking the Rheological Route There is no such thing as a standard noodle texture. Noodles can be thin or thick, flat or round, chewy or sticky, and fresh or dried and can be made from a wide variety of ingredients. Because texture ranks as one of the top factors influencing consumer purchases, manufacturers must get it right. The only way of achieving optimal noodle texture and maintaining it consistently over time is by measuring and controlling this crucial sensory parameter. There is a massive, largely untapped, opportunity for using rheological tests as indicators of potential quality problems at all stages of the noodle production process. Advances in processing technology and new ingredient applications require quantitative methods to assess changes in final product quality and, hence, monitor and control process parameters. To this end, subjective noodle quality control methods are increasingly being supplemented with objective test equipment methods for evaluating noodle texture. Texture analyzers can be deployed as fast and cost-effective near-line tools for measuring texture markers such as noodle breaking strength, flexure, tensile strength, firmness, and stickiness. When adapted and standardized, texture analysis provides manufacturers with a powerful tool to help select the most appropriate raw materials, optimize production processes, and offer consistently high-quality noodle products. |