Multilevel Structure of Wheat Starch and Its Relationship to Noodle Eating Qualities

Abstract

Although the processing and eating qualities of noodles are largely related to the quality and quantity of wheat protein (gluten), the importance of starch, a major ingredient of wheat flour, is often overlooked. Recent developments on the multilevel structural model of starch have brought new insights into the role of starch for better processing and noodle eating qualities. With critical analysis and discussion, this review outlines the comprehensive relationships between the multilevel (molecular, crystalline, and granular) starch structure, noodle eating qualities, and related physicochemical properties. Further, the major and minor structural features of wheat starch and their contributions toward noodle quality are summarized and presented as a schematic diagram, which shows the effects of starch structure on cooked noodles. These features provide new insights for the scientific community, as well as industry, into the role of starch, along with gluten, on the quality of noodles.

High‐Amylose Starches to Bridge the “Fiber Gap”: Development, Structure, and Nutritional Functionality

“…After heat processing of wheat dough, the leached amylose and amylopectin act as cross‐linking agents to hold swollen starch granules and gluten together (Li, Dhital, & Wei, ). As discussed above, due to higher gelatinization temperature than the corresponding normal starch, the dispersion of amylose and amylopectin in HAS into an aqueous solution is hindered in the limited swollen granules.…”

RS Content and eGI Value of Cooked Noodles (I): Effect of Cooking Methods

“…Noodles are staple foods for many Asian countries [1]. In China, noodles are cooked in a variety of ways, such as steaming, boiling, stir-frying, frying and simmering, which enable the noodles to have different tastes and flavors.…”

“…Apart from starch gelatinization, cooking methods [10] can destroy the existing structure or develop the new structure (e.g., due to denaturation of protein and solubilization of fiber), that can affect both the rate [11] and extent of digestion of starch. The changes can be described as macro-level structure (food structure) as in micro-level and molecular structure (micro-level) [1,12] Compared with bread or puffed products, the dense packing of foods (pasta as an example) during the processing leads to reduced enzyme susceptibility [13]. Besides the digestion properties, the glycemic index (GI) value is an integrated index reflecting the postprandial blood glucose concentrations after food digestion, which is often used to classify the carbohydrate-rich foods [14].…”

Steeping of Biofortified Orange Maize Genotypes for Ogi Production Modifies Pasting Properties and Carotenoid Stability

“…Textural qualities of Ogi depend on many factors, which include maize genotype, maize flour particle size, fermentation, and souring periods [28]. Starch and its biochemical characteristics related to the ratio of amylose and amylopectin influence the viscosity and gelatinization properties of the starch, which impact the final texture and sensory attributes of typical maize-based foods [29]. The characteristic of the starch granule, such as swelling, breakdown, and retrogradation, largely determine the overall pasting properties and stability of starchy foods [30].…”