Abstract
Chinese-noodle quality of the noodles made from 8 Hokkaido wheat varieties (6 winter wheat varieties, Hokushin, Taisetsukomugi, Horoshirikomugi, Kitanokaori, Kitamoe and Chihokukomugi, and 2 spring wheat varieties, Haruyokoi and Haruyutaka) was evaluated in comparison with those made from commercial flour. The influence of protein contents and ash contents on Chinese-noodle quality was also investigated. Brightness (L*) of the noodle sheet varied with the wheat variety. Spring wheat varieties Haruyokoi and Haruyutaka, had relatively high protein contents of flour and greatly lowered L* after sheeting. Winter wheat varieties Hokushin, Taisetsukomugi, Horoshirikomugi, Kitamoe and Chihokukomugi had a high L* and low protein contents of flour. Kitanokaori and commercial flour had a high L* despite the high protein contents of flour as in spring wheat varieties. Ash contents of flour exhibited a negative correlation with L* of noodles. A strong correlation was observed between the hardness of boiled noodles and protein contents of the flour. So, hardness of boiled noodles made from spring wheat varieties, Kitanokaori and commercial flour was higher than that made from other winter wheat varieties. The maximum viscosity of amylography did not show any significant correlation with either L*or hardness of boiled noodles, since the maximum viscosity on all samples was fairly high. Kitanokaori was estimated to be most suitable for Chinese-noodle making among 8 Hokkaido wheat varieties, because of the high hardness of boiled noodles and considerably high L* of noodles. Winter wheat varieties, Chihokukomugi, Taisetsukomugi, Hokushin and Kitamoe, exhibited a high L* with low hardness. However, the spring wheat varieties, Haruyokoi and Haruyutaka had both properties of low L* and high hardness. In Hokushin wheat samples harvested in the same area, the higher the protein contents of flour the harder the boiled noodles and lower the L* of noodles.
