Effect of kansui addition on dough rheology and quality characteristics of chickpea-wheat composite flour-based noodles and the underlying mechanism

The impact of kansui on the dough rheology and quality characteristics of chickpea-wheat composite flour-based noodles was investigated. For noodle dough, both the relative crystallinity and degree of order obtained from X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy increased with the low level of kansui addition (0.5-1.5%), followed by a decreased trend at higher levels of alkali concentration (2.0-3.0%). Such variation was in accordance with the trend observed for G' and G ''. Based on the confocal laser scanning microscopic observation for cooked noodle samples, the low concentration of kansui addition (0.5-1.5%) protected the well-embedded starch granules being disassociate from the gluten network, whereas with the increased alkali addition (2.0-3.0%), the protein network was impaired with a greater amount of ruptured starch granules being disassociated from the gluten network. The observation corresponded well with the electrophoretic profile, and the results of cooking properties, -SH content, and textural properties of cooked noodles.