Effects of different water addition levels on Chinese white noodle quality

Objective) Water addition is an important factor influencing noodle preparation, therefore it is crucial to investigate the effects of water addition on noodle quality. (Method) Experiment I with 24 wheat cultivars from Shandong and He'nan at three different water addition levels (34%, 35% and 36%), and experiment II with five commercial wheat flours at five water addition levels (34%, 35%, 36%, 37% and 38%) were used to investigate the effects of water addition levels on Chinese white noodle (CWN) quality. (Result) Brightness (L * value) of 0h raw noodle sheets was decreased and yellowness (b * value) of 0h raw noodle sheets was increased significantly with increasing water addition. For the flour made from cultivars, when water addition was increased from 34% to 36%, brightness (L * value) of 24 h raw noodle sheets increased firstly and then reduced, yellowness (b * value) decreased firstly and then increased and redness (a * value) was decreased significantly. Brightness (L * value) was the lowest and yellowness (b * value) was the highest at 35% water addition. For commercial flour, when water addition was increased from 34% to 38%, brightness (L * value) of 24 h raw noodle sheets increased firstly and then decreased, yellowness (b * value) decreased firstly and then increased and redness (a * value) was changed insignificantly. Brightness (L * value) was the lowest and yellowness (b * value) was the highest at 36% water addition, however, effects of water addition on color of cooked noodles were not significant. The