Development of Wet Noodles (Aceh Noodles) Based on Mocaf (Modified Cassava Flour) with the Addition of Provitamin A From Red Palm Oil Olein (RPOO)

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a condition in which the body’s need for vitamin A is not met. Based on data, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 20 million children under five in Indonesia experience Vitamin A deficiency. One of the efforts to overcome the VAD problem is by providing food products that have natural sources of provitamin A. Food ingredients with high natural sources of provitamin A are red palm oil olein (RPOO). The β-carotene content in RPOO is 500-1000 ppm. One food product that has the potential to be fortified is wet noodles. Wet noodles are a product made from the main raw material of wheat flour. However, noodles are often classified as unhealthy because they have a very high carbohydrate content but are low in protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of RPOO addition on the physical, chemical, and organoleptic properties of wet noodles. The study employed a completely Randomized Design (CRD) with a single factor and five treatment levels, namely the addition of RPOO at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. The findings indicated that adding RPOO significantly influenced the color, water absorption capacity, strain index, provitamin A content, antioxidant activity, and organoleptic acceptance of wet noodles, while it did not significantly affect their moisture content. Increasing the proportion of RPOO resulted in a more yellow color, reduced water absorption capacity, decreased elasticity (strain index), higher provitamin A levels, and stronger antioxidant activity. Organoleptic evaluation showed that noodles with 75% RPOO addition were most favored by panelists, containing 68.09 μgRE of provitamin A, which fulfils 10.48% of the vitamin requirement for adult men and 11.35% for adult women.