Further interpretation of the strengthening effect of curdlan on frozen cooked noodles quality during frozen storage: Studies on water state and properties

Curdlan has been applied to weaken the quality deterioration of frozen cooked noodles (FCN) during frozen storage. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. In this paper, an A/LKB-F probe was used for texture profile analysis and mercury intrusion was firstly used for analyzing ice crystals state in three dimensions. Meanwhile, a systematic study on the water state was conducted, as well as the freeze-thawed stability of FCN under curdlan intervention during frozen storage. The results showed that 0.5% curdlan significantly (P < 0.05) alleviated the decrement in hardness, chewiness and extension, and enhanced the freeze-thawed stability of FCN. This was closely associated with the fact that the addition of curdlan minimized freezable water content, inhibited water mobility and migration, and raised the homogeneity of ice crystals in FCN. This study provides more comprehensive theories for the strengthening effect of curdlan on FCN quality from the perspective of water state.