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Starch and Protein Quality Requirements of Japanese Alkaline Noodles (Ramen)

¹Agriculture Western Australia, Locked Bag No. 4, Bentley Delivery Center, WA 6983, Australia. ²Corresponding author. E-mail: gcrosbie@agric.wa.gov.au ³BRI Australia Ltd, P.O. Box 7, North Ryde, NSW 2113. Current address: School of Public Health, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia. ⁴Nippon Flour Mills Co., Ltd, Central Laboratory 2114-2, Nurumizu, Atsugi, 243 Japan.

Studies on samples of 20 hard-grained wheat cultivars and a commercial flour that varied in starch and protein quality showed that both characteristics influenced the texture of Japanese alkaline noodles (ramen). Flour swelling volume (FSV) and flour pasting characteristics (peak viscosity and breakdown) determined with a Rapid-Visco Analyser (RVA) assessed independently of α-amylase effects, were negatively correlated with total texture score. Protein quality, as indicated by farinograph stability, was positively correlated with total texture score. RVA pasting characteristics were substantially affected by small levels of α-amylase, and inactivation by means of 1 mM AgNO₃ was a critical requirement in characterizing the quality of the starch component of flour.