Regulation of Structure and Quality of Dried Noodles by Liquid Pre-Fermentation

Liquid pre-fermentation technology was innovatively applied to the development of dried fermented noodles. The effects of fermentation time (1, 3 and 6 h) and yeast addition (0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 g/100 g of flour) on the quality, microstructure and flavor of dried noodles were also investigated in this study. Conspicuous porous structures and greater thickness of dried noodles were found when the fermentation time was ≤ 3 h and the yeast addition was ≥ 0.5 g/100 g of flour, which contributed to the increase in the breaking strength, cooking time and water absorption. However, when the fermentation time increased to 6 h, finer microporous structures, little change related to thickness and richer flavor levels were detected. Additionally, the total titratable acidity of dried fermented noodles was increased to 3.38-4.43 mL compared with the unfermented noodles (2.15 mL). Weaker gluten network structures caused by long-time fermentation and acidic environment led to lower hardness, chewiness, tensile force and tensile distance of cooked fermented noodles.