Cereals processing technology

136 Cereals processing technology
Fig. 7.2 Wavy sheeting rollers used to improve gluten development in noodle
production.
particles promoting better gluten development. The added benefit is a smoother
noodle surface and associated decreased stickiness both of which are desired by
the consumer. During the compression stage of sheeting the gluten initially is
developed and becomes more uniform in nature. 24 However, in most small
commercial plants a dough-resting or aging step is not used, resulting in uneven
hydration and subsequent loss of gluten development. Random areas of poor
gluten development result in weak areas within the cut noodle causing increased
loss during subsequent packaging and distribution.
Compound sheeting using waved rollers, see Fig. 7.2, in a multi-roller
system, has been regarded as a significant development in noodle production. 23
The primary goal of this system is to improve the development of the gluten
network to achieve noodle quality approaching that of the hand-made noodle.
7.3 White salted noodles
7.3.1 Hand-made noodles
Three forms of noodle making by hand have been used traditionally: hand
swung, hand cut and hand stretched. Hand-swung noodles have great appeal as
they are considered the optimum noodle quality. Flour and water (55 percent)
containing dissolved salts are mixed to form a crumbly dough. Intensive hand
labor kneads the dough to develop the gluten. The dough is then rolled into a
rope whose ends are held in either hand. Repeated swinging elongates the dough
which is folded and twisted and the process repeated. With each elongation the