Preparation of white salted noodles using rice flour as the principal ingredient and the effects of transglutaminase on noodle qualities

Abstract

A formulation with rice flour as the major component to manufacture white salted noodles was developed. However, rice flour is not suitable for the manufacture of white salted noodles due to the lack of gluten proteins. With the application of transglutaminase (TGase) to catalyze the formation of covalent cross-linking bonds between protein molecules and with the incorporation of vital gluten and wheat flour to increase the protein content and to mimic the color and sensory characteristics, white salted noodles with rice flour, vital gluten and wheat flour at the ratio of 80:10:10 were obtained. Noodles prepared without TGase showed significantly (p<0.05) higher peak viscosity, breakdown viscosity, final viscosity, and setback viscosity than noodles prepared with TGase in rapid viscosity analysis. The addition levels of TGase were 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% (w/w, total flour weight). With the exception of adhesiveness, TGase levels were significantly (p<0.05) correlated with texture profile analysis parameters including hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness and resilience. While the free amino acid contents of raw noodles decreased as the amount of TGase increased, the cooking loss was significantly (p<0.05) decreased. While the appearance, color, and aroma were not significantly (p ≥ 0.05) different from commercial noodles, the sensory evaluation showed that noodles with 1.5% TGase had the best overall acceptability. Collectively, good quality white salted noodles with relatively large amount of rice flour without pre-gelatinization can be made.