Effect of sodium bicarbonate on quality of machine-made Kongxin noodles.

Kongxin (hollow) noodle is a traditional staple food in China and is well-known for its high eating quality. To meet the growing need of market, modern machine and fermentation technique have been applied to produce Kongxin noodles. In order to achieve high quality of food product, the effect of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3) ranging from 0 to 4 g/kg flour on quality of machine-made Kongxin noodles was investigated. The addition of NaHCO 3 decreased the optimal cooking time of Kongxin noodles significantly (p < 0.05). Additionally, elasticity, firmness, chewiness of Kongxin noodles showed significant (p < 0.05) increasing trends. The improvement of NaHCO 3 to quality of noodles may be because it promoted starch gelatinization and level of gluten cross-linking. However, the addition of NaHCO 3 at 4 g/kg flour increased the cooking loss of Kongxin noodles significantly (p < 0.05), which might be because the gluten network formed by excessive crossing-linking limited the swelling of starch. Finally, the optimal cooking and textural qualities were observed at the level of 3 g/kg of NaHCO 3. In conclusion, addition of NaHCO 3 improved the quality of Kongxin noodles by promoting starch gelatinization and gluten cross-linking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]