Optimization of the quality and physicochemical properties of selenium-enriched wheat fresh noodles by incorporating...

Selenium-enriched wheat fresh noodles (SeN) can help increase daily dietary selenium intake, but their dough texture and cooking properties required improvement. Therefore, this study investigated the optimization of SeN quality and physicochemical properties through incorporation of a wheat starch-based complex improver, which primarily includes wheat starch (WS), egg white powder (EWP), and transglutaminase (TG). The results indicated that WS, as a key polysaccharide component in the compound improver, increased the water absorption rate and cooking loss of SeN. When the addition amount of WS was 9%, the free SH content increased by 10.82% compared to the control group, while the SS content significantly decreased by 19.73% (P < 0.05). Conversely, EWP and TG reduced water absorption and cooking loss while significantly enhancing disulfide bond formation (P < 0.05). Orthogonal experiments identified the optimal formulation, which included 7% WS, 5% EWP, and 0.15% TG, reducing cooking loss from 4.53% to 2.78%, increased hardness from 21.71 N to 24.27 N, and improved sensory scores from 50.50 to 53.90. These findings emphasize the pivotal role of a starch-based complex improver in enhancing the quality and consumer acceptance of selenium-enriched wheat fresh noodles.