Cereals processing technology

148 Cereals processing technology
method of preparation with the noodle displaying a firm elastic bite, free of
stickiness and exhibiting a clear, bright, pale yellow color.
7.5 Instant noodles
7.5.1 Description
Instant noodles are the fastest growing sector of the noodle industry and play a
key role in the nutritional requirements of many Asian countries. The number of
servings is estimated to grow from 43 billion packs in 1998 to 100 billion by
2010. 40 They are a low profit margin product depending upon high sales
volumes. In Thailand the government increased the price per serving from
US$0.12 at which it had been fixed for sixteen years, to US$0.14–0.16. A
normal fast food product by comparison is priced at US$0.50–0.60. 9 In Korea,
instant noodles are classified on the basis of price as common or high-quality
noodles with further segregation due to their packaging as either bag or cupbased.
41 The cup-type noodles are thin to allow rapid cooking and water uptake
while the bag-type are much thicker and require up to 5 min for optimum
cooking. A definite trend towards high-quality and cup noodles has been
observed in both Korea and Japan in recent years. In Korea, instant noodles
account for 90 percent of the total wheat noodle production while in Japan
approximately 23 percent. 41 Flour protein requirements vary with the type and
quality of the instant noodle produced ranging from 7–9.5 percent for a general
high-quality noodle to 11.5–12 percent for a cup noodle. Not only is protein
quantity important but so is the nature of the protein as it is critical that a
moderately strong viscoelastic glutenin be formed to stabilize and impart the
desired chewiness to the noodle. Elasticity in the noodle dough is also important
from a processing aspect as too strong a dough will cause shrinkage after each
roller pass. Within South East Asia instant Udon-type noodles are also available
but have the lower 8–9 percent protein levels. Ash content also varies from
0.40–0.54 percent in the common noodle but higher levels have been reported.
Fat content is highly dependent upon the economic target market with values as
low as 12 percent (Korea) to in excess of 20 percent. 24 There are significant
variations in the size of packages across and within a country.
7.5.2 Processing
In Japan instant noodles are prepared with a lower amount of alkaline salt, 0.2
percent on a flour basis 5 which is similar to Korea. 41 Koreans use an alkaline
mixture of equal portions of potassium sodium carbonate while the Japanese
prefer a 60:40 ratio. The Koreans also prefer to use higher concentrations of
common salt, 1.5–2.0 percent, as compared to the Japanese, 1 percent. Other
countries in the region commonly use up to 3 percent alkaline reagent. The
Koreans additionally make a high quality instant noodle without adding alkaline
reagent. Instant noodles made in Korea use a low water content, 30–31 percent,