Evaluation of White Salted Noodles Enriched with Oat Flour

Oat consumption is regarded as having significant health benefits. The enrichment of white salted noodles with oat flour would provide a potential health benefit but may affect the texture and sensory quality. Oat cultivars grown in Western Australia (Yallara, Kojonup, Mitika, Carrolup, and new line SV97181‐8) and a commercial oat variety were milled into flour and added to wheat flour at 10, 20, and 30% to produce oat‐enriched white salted noodles. The purpose of the study was to determine the quality characteristics of the oat flours and to assess the influence the oat flour blends had on noodle texture, color, and sensory characteristics. In addition, another goal was to determine whether the different oat cultivars had similar potential to provide health benefits by measuring the β‐glucan content before and after processing. The results indicated that protein, ash content, and noodle firmness increased with the increased percentage of oat flour in the noodle formulations, whereas the pasting properties of the noodle wheat–oat flour blends did not differ significantly. The color of raw noodle sheets and boiled noodles changed significantly with oat incorporation and resulted in lower lightness/brightness, higher redness, lower yellowness, and lower color stability in comparison to standard wheat white salted noodles. Noodles made with the lowest oat percentage (10%) scored highest for all sensory parameters and were significantly different in appearance, color, and overall acceptability compared with noodles made with 20 and 30% oat flour. The β‐glucan content of the flour blends increased with the increase in the level of oat incorporation but subsequently decreased during processing into noodles. The decrease in the β‐glucan content varied across the different oat cultivars and levels of incorporation into the noodles. A new oat cultivar, SV97181‐8, exhibited the least β‐glucan loss during processing. In this study, the quality characteristics of white salted noodles enriched with oat flour from Western Australian cultivars were determined to provide essential information for the commercial development of healthier noodles.     

Quantitative and Qualitative Role of Added Gluten on White Salted Noodles

A commercial gluten and glutens isolated from four soft and four hard wheat flours were incorporated into a hard and a soft white flour by replacement to directly determine the quantitative and qualitative role of gluten proteins in making noodles. Gluten incorporation (6%) decreased water absorption of noodle dough by 3%, shortened the length of the dough sheet by 15 and 18%, and increased the thickness of the dough sheet by 18 and 20% in soft and hard wheat flour, respectively. Noodles imbibed less water and imbibed water more slowly during cooking with gluten incorporation, which resulted in a 3‐min increase in cooking time for both soft and hard wheat noodles. Despite the extended cooking time of 3 min, noodles incorporated with 6% gluten exhibited decreases in cooking loss by 15% in soft wheat. In hard wheat flour, cooking loss of noodles was lowest with 2% incorporation of gluten. Tensile strength of fresh and cooked noodles, as well as hardness of cooked noodles, increased linearly with increase in gluten incorporation, regardless of cooking time and storage time after cooking. While hardness of cooked noodles either increased or showed no changes during storage for 4 hr, tensile strength of noodles decreased. There were large variations in hardness and tensile strength of cooked noodles incorporated with glutens isolated from eight different flours. Noodles incorporated with soft wheat glutens exhibited greater hardness and tensile strength than noodles with hard wheat glutens. Tensile strength of cooked noodles incorporated with eight different glutens negatively correlated with SDS sedimentation volume of wheat flours from which the glutens were isolated.     

Effects of Vacuum Mixing,Water Addition,and Mixing Time on the Quality of Fresh Chinese White Noodles and the Optimization of the Mixing Process

In this study, the effects of mixing process parameters (degree of vacuum, water addition, and mixing time under vacuum) on the cooking and sensory quality properties of Chinese white noodles were investigated by using one commercial‐scale noodle production line and one typical commercial wheat flour. Noodle appearance, firmness, elasticity, smoothness, and total quality scores were significantly improved as the degree of vacuum increased from 0 to 0.06 MPa, although lower sensory scores and larger cooking losses occurred when noodles were mixed at 0.08 MPa. Noodles with a water addition of 35% had the highest total score and the highest scores for each sensory factor. As mixing time increased, the sensory score of cooked noodles increased initially and then decreased. With a mixing time of 7 min, the sensory score was the highest and cooking loss was the lowest. The results of response surface methodology indicated that fresh noodle quality was most affected by the water addition, followed by vacuum degree. Added water was a more important source of variation for appearance, firmness, stickiness, smoothness, total score, and cooking loss than degree of vacuum and mixing time, whereas degree of vacuum was the predominant source of variation for color and elasticity. The interactions between the factors had little effect on sensory and cooking properties. The optimal mixing conditions were determined to be as follows: degree of vacuum, 0.06 MPa; added water, 35.6%; and mixing time, 7.25 min. Furthermore, vacuum mixing produced a more even, coherent, and closed microstructure for the sheeted dough than nonvacuum mixing.     

Quality Characteristics of Fresh and Dried White Salted Noodles Enriched with Flour from Hull‐less Barley Genotypes of Diverse Amylose Content

Fresh and dried white salted noodles (WSN) were prepared by incorporating up to 40% flour from hull‐less barley (HB) genotypes with normal amylose, waxy, zero amylose waxy (ZAW), and high amylose (HA) starch into a 60% extraction Canada Prairie Spring White (cv. AC Vista) wheat flour. The HB flours, depending on genotype, contained four to six times the concentration of β‐glucan of the wheat flour, offering potential health benefits. The HB‐enriched noodles were made with conventional equipment without difficulty. Noodles containing 40% HB flour required less work input during sheeting, probably due to higher optimum water absorption and weakening of the dough due to dilution of wheat gluten. The addition of HB flour had a negative impact on WSN color and appearance, as evident from decreased brightness, increased redness, and more visible specking. The impact of HB flour on cooked WSN texture varied by starch type. Enrichment with HA or normal starch HB flour produced WSN with bite and chewiness values equivalent to or superior to the wheat flour control. Addition of waxy and ZAW HB flour resulted in WSN with lower values for bite and chewiness. The diversity of HB starch types allows tailoring of WSN texture to satisfy specific markets. HB flour also has potential as an ingredient in novel noodle products targeting health‐conscious consumers who associate darker colored cereal‐based foods with superior nutritional composition.     

Impact of α‐Amylases on Quality Characteristics of Asian White Salted Noodles Made From Australian White Wheat Flour

The consumer acceptance of white salted Asian noodles depends on starch characteristics, and the purpose of this study has been to investigate the potential of exogenous α‐amylases to enhance textural characteristics of this product. Noodles were prepared from commercial flours with low α‐amylase activity, and the endogenous enzyme remained relatively stable during various processing and storage treatments. α‐Amylase preparations of bacterial origin and from barley malt were incorporated, and the products were assessed by texture analysis and electron microscopy, as well as for color characteristics. On addition of the amylase preparations, noodles were softer when texture was assessed using either a flat cylinder probe or an axial blade. Some discoloration occurred in treated noodle sheets, although this was minimal in final products that had been cooked immediately after preparation or following drying. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed that the α‐amylase of bacterial origin had greater impact upon starch than that from barley malt. The results have implications for understanding of the adverse impact of preharvest sprouting on product characteristics. The results show that softer noodles have been obtained at these levels of enzyme additions. This was true for both enzyme preparations used. Differences in hardness (as measured using the flat cylinder probe) were greater than those for firmness (as measured using the axial blade).     

Measurement of Color,Gloss, and Translucency of White Salted Noodles: Effects of Water Addition and Vacuum Mixing

Sensory evaluation showed panelists could detect small differences in gloss and translucency in boiled white salted noodles (WSN) but sensory evaluation requires significant resources. Methods for the measurement of noodle gloss and translucency in boiled WSN were developed and the effects of hardness, protein, water addition, and vacuum mixing on these visual sensory characteristics and color (as measured by CIE L*, a*, and b*) were investigated. Noodles derived from hard wheats at low flour protein contents were more translucent than noodles from soft wheat flour at low protein. This trend changed at the highest flour protein contents observed. Translucency of the soft wheat noodles increased to levels equal to or exceeding the translucency of high protein hard wheat noodles. Translucency of all noodle varieties increased as flour protein increased. CIE L* decreased, a* increased, and b* increased when water addition to dough increased from 30 to 35%, but there was no further effect on color when water addition was increased to >35% for raw soft and hard WSN. Boiled noodle translucency was significantly increased when water addition to the dough was increased from 35 to 38% and when noodles made from soft wheat flour were mixed under vacuum. Vacuum mixing significantly increased gloss of boiled noodles made from soft wheat flours.     

银耳蒂头粉对面条蒸煮特性、营养品质及风味成分的影响

银耳蒂头是银耳加工的副产物。为探讨银耳蒂头粉对面条品质与风味成分的影响,本研究以小麦面粉为基体,辅助添加不同比例(0%、5%、8%、11%、14%、17%)的银耳蒂头粉,制作银耳小麦复合面条,测定分析复合面条的蒸煮特性、质构、色泽、感官、营养成分及风味化合物。研究发现,随着银耳蒂头粉的质量分数从0%增加到17%,面条的熟断条率从0%上升到8.33%,烹调损失率从2.02%上升到5.52%,白度指数从80.127下降到76.213,咀嚼硬度从543.835 g下降到322.576 g;银耳蒂头粉添加量为11%时,复合面条的感官品质最佳;与普通面条相比,银耳复合面条的氨基酸总量(12.27 g·100 g^-1)无显著变化,膳食纤维含量从3.3 g·100 g^-1上升到10.0 g·100 g^-1,镁、锌、钙和铁矿物质总量从540.637 mg·kg^-1上升到603.02 mg·kg^-1;银耳蒂头粉对面条的挥发性成分含量影响不明显,但增加了庚醛、己酸、7-甲基十七烷等10种挥发性风味化合物。本研究结果为银耳蒂头的利用和营养功能性面条的开发提供了理论依据。     

Rheological Properties of White Salted Noodles with Different Amylose Content at Small and Large Deformation

The rheological properties of cooked white salted noodles made from eight wheat cultivars with varied amylose content were analyzed at small and large deformation. Their dynamic shear viscoelasticity was measured using a rheometer with parallel plate geometry. Compressive force and creep‐recovery curves were measured using various probes and sample shapes. Noodles with lower amylose content showed a lower storage shear modulus (G′) and a higher frequency dependence of G′. The G′ values of noodles were highly correlated with amylose content in wheat flour and with G′ values of 30 and 40% starch gels. Remarkable differences in the characteristics of creep‐recovery curves were observed between cultivars. The difference in amylose content in wheat flour reflected the creep‐recovery properties of noodles. A negative correlation was demonstrated between amylose content and both maximum creep and recovery compliance. The compressive force required for 20, 50, 80, and 95% strains was compared. At 20 and 50% strain, noodles made from lower amylose wheat flour showed lower compressive force. Noodles of waxy wheat had a higher compressive force than nonwaxy noodles when the strain was >80%, indicating the waxy wheat noodles are soft but difficult to completely cut through.     

Investigation of a Small‐Scale Asymmetric Centrifugal Mixer for the Evaluation of Asian Noodles

A high throughput centrifugal mixer capable of using smaller amounts of flour (50 g) was evaluated for the production of oriental alkaline noodles. The unit requires a small footprint on a laboratory bench and offers variable speed mixing (300–3,500 rpm) for 5–60 sec. Three different mixing bowls, plain, pin, and paddle, were evaluated for the small‐scale production of alkaline noodles using straight‐grade flour derived from Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) and Canada Prairie White Spring (CPSW) wheat. Under optimized mixing conditions (3,000 rpm for 30 sec), the pin and paddle bowls produced noodle dough with crumb size distribution and adhesion characteristics consistent with commercial requirements. The plain bowl produced dough with larger undesirable dough chunks and showed excessive heat buildup. Noodle sheets produced from this dough were not comparable in color characteristics to conventionally produced noodle sheets. Noodles prepared using the paddle mixer also displayed some significantly different color and texture characteristics than conventionally prepared noodles. However, raw noodle sheets or cooked noodles of either wheat class, prepared using the pin bowl mixer, displayed color values (L*, a*, and b*) at 2 and 24 hr and cooked noodle texture characteristics (bite, chewiness, resistance to compression, and recovery) comparable to a conventional laboratory‐scale Hobart type mixer. In addition to the very short mixing time and small equipment footprint for the centrifuge mixer, rapid throughput is enhanced by the ability to rapidly clean or interchange bowls and to potentially vary sample size to as little as 5 g. These attributes should be particularly useful in earlier generation breeder programs where large numbers of samples require rapid screening.     

Effects of Particle Size and Starch Damage of Flour and Alkaline Reagent on Yellow Alkaline Noodle Characteristics

A hard white spring wheat was milled to yield three patent flours with different starch damage levels by manipulating reduction grinding conditions, and each flour was sieved to give three different particle sizes (85–110, 110–132, 132–183 μm). Raw alkaline noodles were prepared using either 1% w/w kansui (sodium and potassium carbonates in 9:1 ratio) or 1% w/w sodium hydroxide. Noodles prepared with sodium hydroxide were significantly brighter, less red, and more yellow than those made with kansui. Differences in noodle color among flour treatments were evident but were attributable to differences in flour refinement rather to than particle size or starch damage. Noodles were rested for 1 hr after processing before cooking. Alkaline reagent was the main factor associated with cooking loss, being ≈50% greater for sodium hydroxide noodles because of higher pH compared with kansui noodles. Cooked sodium hydroxide noodles were thicker than kansui noodles, and cooked strands for both noodle types became thicker as starch damage increased and as particle size became coarser. Instrumental assessment of cooked noodle texture showed that maximum cutting stress (MCS), resistance to compression (RTC), recovery (REC), stress relaxation time (SRT), chewiness (CHE), and springiness (SPR) were influenced by the type of alkaline reagent. Flour particle size and starch damage also influenced noodle texture but the magnitude of the effects and the trends were dependent on alkaline reagent. MCS of kansui noodles was much greater than for sodium hydroxide noodles. MCS of kansui noodles increased as starch damage increased but, in contrast, MCS of sodium hydroxide noodles decreased with increasing starch damage. REC of kansui noodles increased with increasing starch damage and decreased with larger particle size, whereas for sodium hydroxide noodles REC decreased with increasing starch damage and declined dramatically with larger particle size. Kansui noodles exhibited significantly shorter SRT than sodium hydroxide noodles. SRT of kansui noodles was only moderately affected by starch damage and particle size, whereas for sodium hydroxide noodles, SRT became much shorter as flour became coarser and starch damage became higher. CHE of kansui noodles was greater than for sodium hydroxide noodles. CHE of kansui noodles increased as starch damage increased. In contrast, CHE of sodium hydroxide noodles decreased as starch damage increased and also decreased as flour became coarser. SPR of both noodle types decreased as flour became coarser and starch damage became greater. On the basis of these experiments, flour of smaller particle size is an asset to the cooking quality of sodium hydroxide noodles, but high starch damage is to be avoided. For kansui noodles, the impact of flour particle size on cooked noodle texture was less evident and low starch damage, rather than high starch damage, was an asset.     

Refrigerated Storage of Yellow Alkaline Durum Noodles: Impact on Color and Texture

Durum wheat straight‐grade flour samples, representing the cultivars Commander and Strongfield, a composite cargo mixture of Canada Western Amber Durum cultivars and a Japanese commercial durum flour were used to make yellow alkaline noodles. A Canada Western Red Spring common wheat composite straight‐grade flour was included in the study for comparative purposes. Alkaline noodles were prepared using 1% w/w kansui reagent (sodium and potassium carbonates, 9:1) and stored for 1, 2, 3 and 7 days at 4°C to duplicate a normal convenience store operation. The raw noodle color of the durum alkaline noodles exhibited significantly better noodle brightness, L*, and yellowness, b*, as compared to noodles prepared from common wheat at all storage periods. The number of discolored specks in the durum flour based noodles was significantly lower as well as significantly lighter than those of common wheat at all time intervals. Noodles prepared from Commander, Strongfield, or the cargo composite flours displayed significantly lower water uptake during cooking than both the commercial durum flour and the common wheat noodles. The commercial durum flour noodles displayed the thinnest cooked noodles, while the common wheat flour noodles were the thickest. Evaluation of cooked noodle texture, immediately after production and subsequent storage of the raw noodles at 4°C for 1, 2 and 3 days before cooking showed a general increase in maximum cutting stress (MCS) with storage. Noodles prepared from Commander flour consistently display MCS values exceeding those of CWRS as well as the highest resistance to compression (RTC) and recovery (REC) measurements. The visual improvements in noodle brightness, enhanced yellowness, reduced speck numbers and darkness in combination with equivalent to improved cooked noodle texture attributes compared with common wheat flour suggests that durum flours are an ideal material for fresh, refrigerated yellow alkaline noodles.     

Effect of Processing on Viscosity and Molecular Weight of (1,3)(1,4)‐β‐Glucan in Western Australian Oat Cultivars

Six Australian milling oat cultivars grown over two growing seasons were characterized for differences in (1,3)(1,4)‐β‐glucan (β‐glucan) viscosity, solubility, molecular weight (M_w), and the effect of processing. Oat cultivars grown in 2012 had significantly higher extracted β‐glucan viscosity from oat flour than the same oat cultivar grown in 2011 (P < 0.05, mean 137 and 165 cP, respectively). Noodle β‐glucan mean viscosity for 2012 (147 cP) was significantly higher than for 2011 (128 cP). β‐Glucan from ‘Williams’ and ‘Mitika’ oats had the highest viscosity (P < 0.05) in flour (5.92 and 5.25%, respectively) and noodles (1.64 and 1.47%, respectively) for both years, compared with the other oat cultivars. β‐Glucan (M_w) of Williams for 2012 and ‘Kojonup’ for both years were the least affected by processing, with an average drop of 33% compared with a maximum of 63% for other cultivars. Therefore, Williams showed superior β‐glucan properties to other oat cultivars studied, and can potentially provide improved health benefits. High and low β‐glucan M_w populations were found in the same elution peak after processing. Oat cultivars chosen for processing should be those with β‐glucans that are more resistant to processing, and that maintain their physiochemical properties and, therefore, bioactivity.     

Dough Properties and Bread Quality of Wheat–Barley Composite Flour as Affected by β‐Glucanase

Barley is rich in nutritionally positive compounds, but the quality of bread made of wheat–barley composite flours is impaired when a high percentage of barley is used in the mixture. A number of enzymes have been reported to be useful additives in breadmaking. However, the effect of β‐glucanase on breadmaking has scarcely been investigated. In this paper, the influence of different levels (0.02, 0.04, 0.06, and 0.08%, based on composite flour) of β‐glucanase (100,000 U/g) on the properties of dough and bread from 70% wheat, 30% barley composite flour were studied. Although dough development time, dough stability, and protein weakening value decreased after β‐glucanase addition, dough properties such as softness and elasticity as well as bread microstructure were improved compared with the control dough. β‐Glucanase also significantly improved the volume, texture, and shelf life of wheat–barley composite breads. The use of an optimal enzyme concentration (0.04%) increased specific volume (57.5%) and springiness (21%), and it reduced crumb firmness (74%) and staling rate. Bread with added β‐glucanase had a better taste, softness, and overall acceptability of sensory characteristics compared with the control bread. Moreover, the quality of wheat–barley composite bread after addition of 0.04% β‐glucanase was nearly equal to the quality of pure wheat bread. These results indicate that dough rheological characteristics and bread quality of wheat–barley composite flour can be improved by adding a distinct level of β‐glucanase.     

Effects of Inorganic Phosphates on the Thermodynamic,Pasting, and Asian Noodle‐Making Properties of Whole Wheat Flour

The effects of four inorganic phosphates on the thermodynamic and pasting properties of whole wheat flour as well as color, cooking quality, textural properties, and structural characteristics of whole wheat noodles were studied. The addition of phosphates increased the gelatinization temperature and enthalpy of melting of starch in whole wheat flour. Rapid visco analysis showed that all phosphates significantly increased whole wheat flour peak viscosity and final viscosity. Moreover, the whole wheat noodles prepared with disodium phosphate, trisodium phosphate, and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) exhibited brighter appearance, and the use of STPP and sodium hexametaphosphate reduced the cooking loss of whole wheat noodles. Texture profile analysis of cooked noodles revealed that the addition of phosphates significantly decreased the hardness and slightly increased the springiness, cohesiveness, and resilience. The microstructure of whole wheat noodles showed a larger degree of connectivity of the protein network and coverage of starch granules in the presence of inorganic phosphates. The results suggested that inorganic phosphates exhibited substantial effects on improving the quality of whole wheat noodles. Of the four phosphates studied, STPP appeared to be the most effective one in improving the overall properties of whole wheat noodles when they were normalized to constant phosphate content.     

Great Northern Bean Could Improve the Nutritional Value of Instant Noodles

Instant noodles were prepared by substituting hard red winter (HRW) wheat flour with Great Northern bean powder (GNBP) at selected levels (0–60%) using a pilot‐scale noodle processing machine. The functional properties, water absorption, water solubility, and pasting profiles of flour mixtures were tested to verify the process tolerances of ingredients. Prepared noodle samples were evaluated for color, cooking quality, texture, and sensory properties. Slight color differences, an increased cooking loss, and reduced chewiness, cohesiveness, and hardness were observed in cooked noodles that were prepared with GNBP up to 25% of HRW wheat flour weight. The results suggest that HRW wheat flour could be replaced up to 20% (w/w) with GNBP, while still using the conventional processing conditions, to improve the product nutritional value (i.e., increased protein and fiber contents and reduced fat content) (P < 0.05).     

Pasting Property Differences of Commercial and Isolated Rice Starch with Added Lipids and β‐Cyclodextrin

Lipids are known to generally affect starch properties but the effects of lipid structure and β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) on different starches has not been investigated. This study compared the effects of lipids and β‐CD on pasting properties of isolated rice starch with commercial rice starch. Flour was defatted by Soxhlet extraction and deproteinated by alkaline protease digestion. Fatty acids, monopalmitin (MP), tripalmitin, lysophosphatidylcholine (LC), lysophophatidylethanolamine (LE), each added at 0.2 and 0.6% (starch db), and β‐CD added at 2 and 6% (starch db) were tested. Pasting temperature (PT) increased with added phospholipid, particularly in the commercial starch, while all lipids except tripalmitin increased final viscosity (FV) and total setback (TSB). Breakdown (BKD) was mainly affected and increased by up to 39 RVU for fatty acids while decreasing by up to 80 RVU for other lipids in both starches. TSB doubled by the addition of 0.6% MP but decreased to onethird by 0.6% LE or LC. Addition of β‐CD decreased minimum viscosity (MV) and FV while increasing BKD in isolate but decreased TSB in commercial starch.     

Quality Characteristics of Yellow Alkaline Noodles Enriched with Hull‐less Barley Flour

Roller milled flours from eight genotypes of hull‐less barley (HB) with normal, waxy, zero amylose waxy (ZAW), and high amylose (HA) starch were incorporated at 20 and 40% (w/w) with a 60% extraction Canada Prairie Spring White (CPSW, cv. AC Vista) wheat flour to evaluate their suitability as a blend for yellow alkaline noodles (YAN). The barley flour supplemented noodles were prepared using conventional equipment. Noodles containing 40% HB flour required less work input than the corresponding 20% blend noodles due to a higher water absorption at the elevated level of HB flour addition, which probably caused them to soften. The addition of any HB flour at either level to the CPSW flour resulted in significantly decreased brightness (L*) and yellowness (b*), elevated redness (a*), concomitant with a significantly greater number of specks per unit area of noodle sheet compared with the control flour. The addition of 40% HB flour to YAN decreased cook time and cooking losses. Noodle firmness, as determined by maximum cutting stress (MCS), was significantly increased by the addition of 40% HB flour. Noodle chewiness, as determined by the texture profile analysis (TPA), was affected by the type of starch in the barley samples; the addition of waxy and ZAW HB flour decreased chewiness, whereas normal and HA HB flour increased chewiness of composite noodles.     

Effects of Processing,Cultivar, and Environment on the Physicochemical Properties of Oat β‐Glucan

Several food regulatory agencies around the world have approved health claims for oat‐derived β‐glucan for cholesterol lowering and glycemic control. The biological efficacy of β‐glucan appears to depend both on daily intake and on physicochemical properties, such as molecular weight and viscosity. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of oat processing, genotype, and growing location on the physicochemical properties of β‐glucan. Five oat genotypes (HiFi, Leggett, CDC Dancer, Marion, and CDC Morrison) grown in two locations (Saskatoon and Kernen) were dehulled (untreated) and processed in a pilot facility through kilning (kilned, not flaked) and subsequent steaming and flaking (kilned, flaked). Untreated groats gave a relatively low Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) apparent viscosity (164 cP) and a low extractable β‐glucan molecular weight (332,440) but exhibited high β‐glucan solubility (90.49%). Compared with untreated groats, the kilned (not flaked) samples had significantly increased RVA apparent viscosity (314 cP) and extractable β‐glucan molecular weight (604,710). Additional processing into kilned and flaked products further increased RVA apparent viscosity (931 cP) and β‐glucan molecular weight (1,221,760), but β‐glucan solubility (63.83%) was significantly reduced. Genotype and growing environment also significantly affected β‐glucan viscosity and molecular weight, but no significant interaction effects between processing, genotype, and environment were found. Results indicate that there is potential for processors to improve the physicochemical and nutritional properties of oat end products through processing of specific oat genotypes from selected growing locations.     

The Impact of Oat Quality on White Salted Noodles Containing Oat Flour

This research compared the physicochemical properties of six milling oat cultivars from Western Australia over two growing seasons (2011 and 2012). Variations among the cultivars in physicochemical properties, particularly β‐glucan content, were assessed to determine their suitability for incorporation into white salted noodles at a level of 30% of the flour component. The average across six oat cultivars grown in 2012 was significantly higher (P < 0.05) for protein content, lipid content, and volume of smaller sized particles (<100 µm) and significantly lower for ash content, starch damage, and volume of larger particles (>100 µm) in comparison with the average across the same oat cultivars grown in 2011. The year of cultivation by cultivar interaction was significant (P < 0.05) for ash content, protein content, β‐glucan content, starch damage, and particle size. Oat cultivar Mitika had the highest peak viscosity for 100% oat flour (whole groat) and 30% oat–wheat (OW) flour blend, which may be owing to lower amylose percentage, high protein content, and greater volume of smaller particles. The effect of growing season had greater impact on OW noodle firmness than the genetic effect of cultivars. The eating and cooking quality attributes of OW noodles, such as color, color stability, firmness, and cooking solid loss were superior for those incorporated with 2012 oat flour (whole groat) compared with 2011 oat flour. Among the six oat cultivars, Williams produced noodles with poor cooking and eating quality, and Mitika was easier to handle during processing and produced noodles with superior brightness and color stability in comparison with other oat cultivars evaluated.     

Preparation and Characterization of Films Using Barley and Oat β‐Glucan Extracts

Films for potential food use were prepared from aqueous solutions of β‐glucan extracted from hulled barley, hull‐less barley, and oats. The extracts (75.2–79.3% β‐glucan) also contained proteins, fat, and ash. Glycerol was used as a plasticizer. The films were translucent, smooth, and homogeneous in structure on both sides. Water vapor permeability of films prepared from 4% solutions of β‐glucan extracts were higher than those from 2% solutions, despite similar values for water vapor transmission rate. Mechanical properties were influenced by both β‐glucan source and concentration. The oat β‐glucan films showed higher tensile strength and water solubility, and lower color, opacity, and deformation values than those of barley. Films prepared from hull‐less barley cv. HLB233 remained intact upon immersion in water for 24 hr.