Water sorption kinetics of gluten-added wheat noodle

Abstract

Noodles were prepared using wheat flour with 0-20% (w/w) added powdered gluten, and the transient changes in their moisture content during cooking were measured. Kinetic analysis of the water sorption process during cooking indicated that the process occurred in two distinct stages for all of the noodles. Water diffusion and consequent starch gelatinization predominantly controlled water sorption during the early stage, while relaxation of the gluten network structure was rate-limiting for the water sorption process during the latter stage. The moisture content, at which the rate-limiting factor for the water sorption process changed, was lower for the wheat noodles having a higher gluten content. Thus, it was suggested that the change in the gluten network structure induced by the addition of gluten to wheat flour affected the water sorption behavior of wheat noodles.