Effects of processing technology on chewiness of fresh noodles

As a kind of noodles, fresh and wet noodles have the characteristics of fresh and tender color, smooth taste, elasticity, strong noodle fragrance, nutrition and health, and convenient and hygienic consumption. Compared with dried noodles, fresh and wet noodles have the characteristics of freshness, good taste and low production cost. Advantages have always been favored by people, and there are more and more flower species. However, the flavor and texture of traditional fresh and wet noodles are generally short-lived, and how to improve the chewiness of fresh and wet noodles without affecting the shelf life is still a challenge.

The traditional processing technology of fresh and wet noodles generally includes pretreatment of raw and auxiliary materials, dough mixing, compound calendering, constant temperature and humidity proofing (curing), continuous calendering, cutting, drying, sterilization (such as ultraviolet sterilization), packaging and Other processes.

1. The influence of mixing method on the chewiness of fresh and wet noodles

Kneading is a key point in the production process of fresh and wet noodles, and factors such as the method, time, and speed of mixing determine the dispersion of the dough. The quality of the kneading process directly affects the quality of the subsequent process and the final product. The main equipment is the kneading machine.

The vacuum dough mixer is a relatively advanced dough mixer that has appeared in recent years. Because the negative pressure is maintained in the dough mixer, the flour is prevented from heating up. At the same time, the salt water is sprayed out in a mist form under negative pressure, the salt water and the flour are fully and evenly mixed, and the protein in the flour can fully absorb the water in the shortest time. Noodles are more springy.

Li Man et al. did some experiments on vacuum and noodles, mainly studying the effects of vacuum and the physical and chemical properties, microstructure and moisture status of fresh and wet noodles. The results showed that: with the increase of vacuum degree, the quality of fresh and wet noodles improved The texture properties of fresh and wet noodles were significantly improved (P>0.05), but when the vacuum degree was 0.08 MPa, the texture properties of fresh and wet noodles were poor. When the vacuum degree was 0.06 MPa, the fresh and wet noodles showed the best textural properties.

In addition, SEM results showed that the vacuum kneading induced a more continuous and compact structure of fresh and wet noodles. Apparently, their research shows that vacuum kneading improves the firmness of fresh and wet noodles to a certain extent, thereby improving the elasticity and chewiness of fresh and wet noodles.

2. The effect of secondary dough resting/aging on the chewiness of fresh and wet noodles

Resting, also known as Aging, is the continuation of the kneading process. Its function is to maximize the penetration of water into the interior of the protein colloid, so that it can fully absorb water and swell, and stick to each other. The internal pressure generated makes the dough in a state of gradual relaxation and extensibility, which reduces the viscosity, thereby completely forming a gluten network that meets the processing requirements.
Since the proofing process is very important for the formation of dough gluten, and the formation of gluten is closely related to moisture and temperature, controlling the moisture and temperature is even more critical for the proofing process. The suitable proofing temperature is generally 25~35 ℃, the humidity is generally 80%~85%, and the time is generally 20~35 minutes.
In order to better improve the quality of fresh and wet noodles, Ren Yuanyuan and others did some experimental research on improving the quality of fresh and wet noodles. Including the use of response surface methodology to optimize the processing technology of fresh and wet noodles and to explore the role of secondary waken noodles in the processing of fresh and wet noodles. The measurement results of the texture characteristics of the fresh and wet noodles treated by the second resting showed that the hardness, elasticity and chewiness of the fresh and wet noodles after the second resting were improved to a certain extent, and the restoring force did not change significantly.
This change of fresh and wet noodles may be related to the increase of the strength and structural stability of the noodles, which reduces the dissolution rate of the noodles. This proves that the second awakening improves the chewiness of fresh and wet noodles to a certain extent, brings people a better taste, and provides new ideas for the improvement of the processing technology of fresh and wet noodles.