Analysis of Texture and Gastrointestinal Digestion Characteristics of Infant Noodles Based on Bio-Mimetic Platform

Bionic oral and gastrointestinal modelling was used to analyze the texture, mastication characteristics, and starch and protein digestion of infant noodles with varying levels of size and gluten content. For texture, granular noodles, No. 1 line and No. 2 line noodles, butterfly noodles, and spiral noodles matched the needs of infants and toddlers aged 6-8 months, 9-12 months, and over 12 months, respectively. After mastication, the size of granular noodles, No. 1 line noodles, and No. 2 line noodles matched the swallowing capacities of children aged 6 to 9 months and 10 to 18 months, respectively. Spiral noodles, shell noodles, and butterfly noodles all satisfied the swallowing needs of infants older than 24 months. Protein and starch digestion rates declined as noodle size and gluten protein content increased. Therefore, the choice of noodles for infants and small children can be based on the gluten level and combined with the size of the noodles.