Preparation and characterization of gluten-free sheeted doughs and noodles with zein and rice flour containing different amylose contents

This study aimed to explore the feasibility of zein as a gluten alternative in preparing sheeted doughs with rice flours containing different amylose contents (12, 19, and 26%) that were successfully slit into noodle strands. Rice-zein mixtures with lower amylose contents exhibited lower pasting parameters and the high amylose paste samples possessed more elastic properties. Higher water absorption was observed in the low amylose rice-zein mixture whereas the use of zein were effective in increasing the stability of rice dough regardless of amylose content. In case of thermal conductivity, the noodle doughs prepared with high amylose rice-zein mixture had low thermal conductivity, probably implying a long cooking time. The structure of the rice-zein noodles had a tendency to become firmer with increasing levels of amylose by showing greater breaking stress and resistance to extension that could be correlated to reduced cooking loss.