Improvement of noodle quality: The effect of ultrasonic on noodles resting

In order to overcome the existing challenges on the production time and quality, a novel dough resting method of fresh wet noodles via ultrasonic processing was developed. The changes of the starch, protein hydration and gluten network formation after ultrasonic treatment were investigated. The sensory quality, secondary structure and cross section morphology of dough were characterized. The results showed that ultrasonic treatment could improve the texture of wheat dough, promote the hydration of starch and protein, and increase the cooking quality. Compared with the control group, the hardness of fresh noodles decreased by 14.19%, and tensile force significantly increased by 33.43% after treatment under ultrasonic power density of 66 W/L. Viscoelastic, SEM and FTIR characterization results also verified that the angle of loss (tanδ) and surface roughness was decreased, and the content of α-helix significantly increased via ultrasonic treatment. It could be observed that the ultrasonic resting could reduce the surface tension between protein and water molecules to promote the formation of gluten network and protein hydration. Therefore, ultrasonic treatment could facilitate to reduce the resting processing time and improve the quality of fresh wet noodles.