Solvent retention capacity application to assess soft wheat flour quality for making white‐salted noodles

Abstract

AbstractBackground and objectivesGluten development of wheat flour under a limited amount of water is essential for dough sheeting and cutting in preparation of noodle, and for cooking and textural properties of noodles. Soft wheat flour of relatively high gluten strength, low damaged starch content, and low water absorption could be suitable for the requirement. The study was aimed at exploring the potential uses of solvent retention capacity (SRC) test for evaluation of soft wheat flour quality for making white‐salted noodles.FindingsTen soft wheat varieties exhibited large differences in SRC values. Lactic acid SRC and gluten performance index (GPI) showed significant correlations with weight gain and firmness of the cooked noodles. Among the flour characteristics, GPI appeared to be the best predictor of cooked noodle firmness, with the highest correlation coefficient (r = 0.96, p < 0.010).ConclusionsFlour SDS sedimentation volume, lactic acid SRC, and GPI were significantly correlated with weight gain and texture of cooked noodle. Soft wheat flours with GPI >0.60 were found to be suitable for making white‐salted noodles.Significance and noveltySolvent retention capacity analysis could be successfully applied for selecting soft wheat cultivars suitable for white‐salted noodles. For this sample set, among the flour quality parameters, GPI was the most reliable predictor for firmness of cooked noodles and could be effectively used for identification of noodle wheat varieties and grains by wheat breeding programs and noodle manufacturers.