Abstract
While precooking and processing have improved the quality of gluten-free noodles, the effects of different cooking temperatures on their quality—neither gluten-free noodles nor whole Tartary buckwheat noodles—have rarely been clarified. This study investigated the key role of moisture distribution induced by different cooking temperatures in improving the noodle quality of whole Tartary buckwheat. The results showed that cooking temperatures higher than 70 °C led to a sharp increase in cooking loss, flavonoid loss and the rate of broken noodles, as well as a sharp decrease in water absorption. Moreover, the noodles cooked at 70 °C showed the lowest rate of hardness and chewiness and the highest tensile strength of all cooking temperatures from 20 °C to 110 °C. The main positive attribute of noodles cooked at 70 °C might be their high uniform moisture distribution during cooking. Cooking at 70 °C for 12 min was determined as the best condition for the quality improvement of whole Tartary buckwheat noodles. This is the first study to illustrate the importance of cooking temperatures on the quality of Tartary buckwheat noodles. More consideration must also be given to the optimal cooking conditions for different gluten-free noodles made from minor coarse cereals.
Highlights
The immersion of extruded noodles in water was always the main cooking method for ready-to-eat gluten-free noodles, such as those made from rice, corn, potato and soy, because starch had been gelatinized during extrusion and these noodles were easy to break when boiling at 100 ◦ C [10]
The present results showed that cooking temperatures ranging from 50 ◦ C to 80 ◦ C could maintain the same level of water absorption that noodles cooked at lower temperatures of 20 ◦ C or below have, which might be appropriate for water distribution or the water-holding capacity of noodles during cooking
There was no significant difference in starch digestibility among 20–70 °C (40.06–42.32%) at 180 min, but cooking at 100 °C (65.38%) and 110 °C (64.35%) showed the highest level of digestibility
Summary
Noodles are popular worldwide as one of the major traditional staple foods, second only to bread consumption [1]. 40% of wheat in China is used for various types of noodle production [2]. Wheat noodles and rice noodles have been consumed for thousands of years because of their pleasant taste and flavor, but over-processing leads to a loss of nutrients, including dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, enabling the refined grains to become a possible cause of chronic disease [3,4]. Noodles made from whole grain or coarse cereals have become more popular within the last decade. Though not as commonly consumed around the world, they have significant health benefits induced by their enrichment in dietary fiber and other bioactive compounds [5]
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