larisa.cato@aegic.org.au

Wheat based products are major part of dietary requirements around the world. Asian noodles have been important for Asian cuisine for many centuries and continue to play a central role in many dishes in Asia but are also becoming very popular and widely consumed all over the world.

Often, the quality of Asian noodles is described by noodle appearance (noodle colour) and eating quality (noodle texture). The suitability of wheat for noodles is assessed in terms of product quality but also processing properties.

This research identified the key wheat and flour quality preferences and ideal target levels and attributes for major types of noodle products in Southeast Asian markets. Benchmark samples from Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia were used as quality targets and benchmarked to Australian milling grades.

Yellow alkaline noodles (YAN) were made using small scale noodle making process. Colour of raw and boiled noodles was measured using Minolta Chroma Meter CR310. Noodle colour and appearance of Australian samples was superior to any and benchmark sampels used from various markets. Enzymes alpha-malt and pasta-zyme were used to assess colour and appearance improvement potential.

Their impact on noodle appearance was measured and discussed as noodle brightness (L*), yellowness (b*) and redness (a*). Colour stability and discolouration over a period of time measured and will be discussed in this paper.