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Production of Bihon-type Noodles from Maize Starch Differing in Amylose Content

¹Cereal Science Laboratory, Department of Botany, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, Peoples Republic of China. ²Institute of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna 4031 Philippines. ³China Maize Improvement Center, Crop Science Building, China Agricultural University, Haidian, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China 100094. ⁴Corresponding author. E-mail: lilia_collado@yahoo.com

Maize starches extracted from selected maize cultivars with 0.2–60.8% amylose contents were used to produce bihon-type noodles. Starch dough using a pregelatinized starch binder was prepared and extruded through a laboratory-scale extruder simulating the traditional process of making bihon in the Philippines. The normal maize starches with amylose content of ≈28% were successfully used for bihon-type noodle production, but waxy maize starches with 0.2–3.8% amylose content and high-amylose maize starches with 40.0–60.8% amylose content failed to produce bihon-type noodles. Viscoamylograph profile parameters and swelling volume are significantly correlated to amylose content of maize starch samples evaluated. These physicochemical properties may be used to indicate that the starch samples at normal amylose levels may be used for bihon-type noodles. Starch noodles produced in the laboratory were not significantly different in terms of either cooking quality or textural properties from two commercially produced maize noodle samples, except for adhesiveness. The laboratory process and fabricated extruder can be used to produce bihon-type noodles.