Food additives and technologies used in Chinese traditional staple foods

Abstract

Noodles and Chinese steamed bread (CSB) represent 70% wheat flour consumption in China. However, fresh noodles and CSB are much produced in small workshop and on family basis. The relatively poor and unstable qualities of wheat flour, as well as the short shelf-life of fresh noodles and CSB have significantly retarded the efficient production of traditional staple foods at large scale and industrial level. This review summarizes the food additives, such as salts, vital wheat gluten, hydrocolloids, esters, enzymes, acids and lots of natural products, used to enhance flour quality and retard staling and microbe growth of noodles and CSB. In addition, recent advances focus on the physical treatments and packaging technologies applied in the production of fresh noodles and CSB were also introduced. The findings in this review would provide reference for further explorations toward the industrialization of traditional staple foods.