Curdlan Incorporation Enhances the Cooking, Rheological, and Textural Attributes of Thermally Sterilized Rice Noodles

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Material Science

Background:

• Rice starch exhibits cooling-set gelling behavior, susceptible to disruption by thermal treatment.
• Thermal processing compromises rice noodle gel structure, negatively impacting texture and cooking quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of thermal sterilization and curdlan integration on rice noodle quality.
• To analyze rheological characteristics, microstructure, and overall quality.

Main Methods:

• Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy
• Kinetic analysis
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

Main Results:

• Curdlan incorporation enhances hydrogen bonding and accelerates gel formation, creating a denser structure.
• Rice noodles with 2.0% curdlan showed significant reductions in cooking breakage (74.71%) and loss (68.18%).
• Hardness and springiness increased by 19.82% and 18.75%, respectively, indicating improved textural properties.

Conclusions:

• Curdlan integration improves the solid-like behavior, storage modulus, and textural attributes of rice noodles.
• The study provides insights for developing high-quality fresh rice noodles with enhanced thermal stability.