Abstract
The effect of absorbed moisture at various levels of humidity and under different water conditions was studied on the breaking properties of twelve kinds of commercial noodles differing from each other in the degree of starch gelatinization. When moisture had been absorbed, the noodles consisting of non-gelatinized starch became much softer, while the noodles consisting of gelatinized starch remained hard or became even harder with approximately 15 g of water/100 g of dry matter. The gelatinized noodles were also less soft than the non-gelatinized noodles under limited water conditions which were controlled by water/triethyleneglycol, and a distinct difference in the degree of hardness was apparent between the gelatinized and non-gelatinized noodles at approximately 30 g of water/100 g of dry matter. A positive correlation between the breaking properties (i.e., maximum force and cutting energy) and the degree of starch gelatinization, swelling capacity and viscosity of the noodles was obtained with low moisture absorption.
