Water status of cooked white salted noodles evaluated by MRI

Transverse relaxation time (T(2))-weighted images and T(2) maps of white salted noodles (WSN) were investigated by magnetic resonance imaging technique. T(2)-weighted images and T(2) maps clearly showed the differences in water status between noodles. The migration of moisture from surface regions to central regions of boiled WSN at different migration rates were investigated during storage. The distribution of T(2) values changed differently depending on the cooking and storage times. The small differences in T(2) values between surface region and central region of noodles cooked for 5 and 15 min were attributed to the limited water absorption during short cooking time, which resulted in high firmness. The changes in. starch granules morphology observed under scanning electron microscope and the increase of noodle firmness measured by texture analyzer were significantly affected by the water status in noodles. The water status can be controlled by the cooking time. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.