The Improvement of Thickeners on Fresh Noodles

A thickening agent or thickener is a substance that can increase the viscosity of a liquid without substantially changing its other properties. It can make the dough of the noodles flexible and not easy to break when cutting. It can also prevent the noodles from inhaling too much oil and make the noodles smooth and non-greasy during the production of instant noodles. Studies have shown that thickeners can also reduce the cooking loss of noodles, increase tensile strength, increase bite strength, improve surface conditions, and significantly improve the overall quality of noodles. Common thickeners include xanthan gum, carrageenan, CMC, sodium alginate, and konjac flour.

Ⅰ. The effect of thickeners on the loss of noodles' dry matter

Xanthan gum and konjac flour achieve much better results than the other three thickeners when applied in noodles' dry matter. With the increased of various thickeners, noodles' dry matter loss rate first decreases and then increases. Except for carrageenan, the extreme value of the dry matter loss rate appears when the use amount of thickener is 0.3% -0.4%.

Ⅱ. The effect of thickeners on the turbidity of noodle soup

Thickeners have a certain effect on the turbidity of the soup after noodles are cooked. With the increase in the usage of various thickeners, the turbidity of the noodle soup tends first to decrease and then increase. The extreme values all appear when the usage of thickeners is 0.3%-0.4%. Different thickeners have different effects on the turbidity of noodle soup. The effect of using xanthan gum and konjac powder is much better than using carrageenan, CMC, and sodium alginate.

Ⅲ. The effect of thickeners on the comprehensive performance of noodles

With the increase in the usage of various thickeners, the comprehensive score of noodles increased first and then decreased. The extreme values all appeared when the usage of thickeners was 0.3%-0.4%. The five thickeners can improve the final product of noodles in different ways. The effect of using xanthan gum and konjac flour is significantly better than that of the other three thickeners. The final product of noodles at the best effect is reaching more ideal improvement effect.

In short, the appropriate amount of thickeners in food additives can improve the overall quality of noodles, but the improvement effects of different thickeners are different. Among the five thickeners, the improvement effect of xanthan gum and konjac flour on noodles is much better than sodium alginate and the other three.