Cereals processing technology

Asian noodle processing 145
Table 7.4 Starch pasting characteristics (RVA viscosity units, RVU) of a variety of
Asian flours used in noodle manufacture in the presence of silver nitrate (0.05M)
Company/ Peak Trough Breakdown Final Setback
sample viscosity viscosity
A-Commercial 1 270.3 75.1 195.3 157.4 82.4
A-Commercial 2 274.6 78.7 195.9 166.7 88.0
A-Commercial 3 279.0 80.8 198.3 176.8 96.0
A-Commercial 4 232.6 73.1 159.5 147.1 74.0
B-Commercial 5 243.9 71.2 172.7 144.0 72.8
B-Commercial 6 281.5 75.4 206.1 153.9 78.5
B-Commercial 7 304.9 83.3 221.6 174.9 91.6
C-Commercial 8 268.4 77.4 191.0 160.3 82.9
C-Commercial 9 282.0 89.1 193.0 192.0 102.9
D-Commercial 10 314.9 80.7 234.2 166.9 86.2
D-Commercial 11 258.9 83.4 175.5 171.5 88.1
Mean 301.1 86.8 214.3 181.1 94.3
Std. deviation 7.9 6.0 9.9 7.8 9.6
alkaline noodle, was attributable to its starch properties. 36 It is not uncommon
for Hokkien noodle flour to be supplemented with tapioca starch to improve the
gelatinization characteristics.
Noodles prepared with caustic soda (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) tend to be
stickier and not as firm as those made with kansui reagents (a mixture of sodium
and potassium carbonates in different ratios). It has a detrimental effect on
gluten development as well as causing premature starch gelatinization and
increased noodle stickiness. The composition of the alkaline solution (kansui)
added to the flour can have a significant effect on the brightness (L*) and
yellowness (b*) of the alkaline noodle (see Table 7.5). 37 Flour used to prepare
alkaline noodles has been found to contain lower amounts of non-starch lipid,
most noticeably the neutral/polar lipids, as compared to those used for the
production of salted noodles. 38 Alkaline noodle flours tend to have larger
particles than salted noodle flours. 39
7.4.2 Processing
Aside from Korea and Japan the majority of noodle processors are small familyoperated
businesses catering to local or neighborhood clients. Usually these
small operations have only a few bags of flour dropped off on a daily basis.
Many mills provide technical expertise for these small operations identifying
which of their flour products are best suited to their clients’ needs. In these small
operations flour specifications are not usually discussed although a client will
immediately contact his supplier if the final product is unacceptable for any
reason. Larger noodle processors generally have one or two flour silos on site
which are filled continuously on a regular basis. A large plant can process over
240 tonnes per 24 hours. It is not uncommon for the flour companies to build