Effect of tea polyphenols on the quality characteristics of fresh wheat noodles in the storage

In this study, the quality properties of fresh noodles with tea polyphenols (TPs), including rheological and texture properties, were characterised. The changes of gluten protein second structure, free thiol group (-SH) content and TPs content were evaluated in fresh noodles during storage time. The results showed that the flour farinograph and extensograph properties could be improved by 0.9% TPs. All of textural parameters exhibited significant decrease (P < 0.05) along with the storage time, including hardness, springiness and tensile force of fresh noodles, while the shelf life of noodles containing TPs was longer than that of non-TPs noodles. In addition, TPs inhibited the transformation of glutenin macropolymer (GMP) into SDS-soluble glutenin in the fresh noodles. Furthermore, the increase in free thiol group, the decrease of alpha-helix structure and the change of TPs content mostly occurred during the first 9 days. These results indicated that TPs could prolong the shelf life of fresh noodles.