Asian salted noodle quality: Impact of amylose content adjustments using waxy wheat flour

Fourteen flour blends of two natural wild-type wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) flours, 'Nuplains' and 'Centura', blended with one waxy flour sample were characterized and processed to Asian salted noodles. The flour amylose content range was <1-29%. Damaged starch contents were 10.4, 7.0, and 6.6% for the waxy wheat, Nuplains, and Centura, respectively. The waxy flour farinograph water absorption was as high as 79.5%, approximate to20% higher than the wild-type flours. Because two types of starch granules (wild-type and waxy) existed in the flour blends, two peaks at 82degreesC (waxy) and 95degreesC (wild-type) were found in the RVA pasting curves. Reduced amylose content caused high flour swelling volume and power and low falling number. Significant effects of flour amylose content on noodle processing and textural (eating) qualities were found in the study. Noodle qualities, as reflected in covariate analysis, were not significantly affected by the flour blend's protein content, SDS-sedimentation volume, mixograph dough development time, or mixograph tolerance score. The absence of covariate (protein quantity and quality) effects for the food system (flour) used in this study is a very desirable design for the functional studies of starch components. The optimal flour amylose content range for Asian salted noodle products was 21-24%.