Evaluation of Asian salted noodles in the presence of Amaranthus betacyanin pigments

The effect of betacyanin pigments from Amaranthus tricolor on the functional properties and colour of wheat flour in relation to the quality of Asian salted noodles was studied. Addition of Amaranthus pigments significantly decreased the viscosity of wheat flour pastes as well as hardness and adhesiveness of the gels. Low levels of Amaranthus pigments (0.1% and 0.5%) imparted a more pink shade to flour gels, dried raw noodles, and cooked noodles, whereas higher levels (1.0% and 2.0%) gave a more red shade with decreased brightness. Pigment addition at low levels had no significant effect on the cooking and textural properties of noodles, whereas high level (2.0%) did have a significant influence. Several RVA and textural parameters of wheat flour pastes and gels were highly correlated to quality of cooked noodles and may be used in predicting actual noodle quality in the presence of Amaranthus pigments. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.