A Study of Vacuum Mixing Parameters for High-Water-added Dried Noodles Using Color Difference Method and Gluten Network Quantitative Analysis

In this study, the chromatic aberration method was used to optimize the mixing parameters of high water-added dried noodles, and the effects of high water-added and vacuum mixing on eating quality of dried noodles were studied. Furthermore, the improvement mechanism was elaborated through a quantitative analysis of the gluten network structure in dough sheets. It was indicated that the optimal mixing operation for noodles with 38% water addition was mixed for 9min under -0.06 MPa, based on the color difference method. The reliability of the results was verified by the chewiness analysis of cooked noodles. Compared with low water addition, the eating quality of 38% water-added dried noodles was significantly better (P < 0.05). Moreover, the eating quality of high water-added dried noodles was improved considerably at -0.06 MPa, while the chewiness was significantly increased by 19.6% (P < 0.05). The average length and width of the gluten network were the lowest at -0.06 MPa, whereas the branching rate was the highest (P < 0.05). Overall, the color difference method can be used to optimize mixing process parameters. High water-added and vacuum mixing enhanced the uniformity and compactness of the gluten network, significantly improving the eating quality of dried noodles.