PHYSICOCHEMICAL, TEXTURAL AND NOODLE‐MAKING PROPERTIES OF WHEAT DOUGH CONTAINING ALGINATE

ABSTRACT The effects of the addition of alginate on the physicochemical, rheological and noodle‐making properties of wheat flour were studied. The hydration properties (water absorption index, water solubility and swelling power) of wheat flour increased with increasing levels of alginate due to its high affinity to water. The addition of alginate caused increased water absorption and dough development time in the farinogram while the tolerance of dough to mixing was reduced. Also, the syneresis of the wheat flour gel was significantly reduced during freeze‐thaw treatments when prepared with alginate. With the addition of alginate, the noodles exhibited an increase in the cooked weight and a decrease in the cooking loss. Moreover, the addition of alginate led to significant increases in the cutting and tensile forces of the noodles. In addition, the noodles containing more alginate exhibited lower lightness and redness, while yellowness was increased. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The purposes of this study are to examine the effects of alginate on the physicochemical and rheological properties of wheat flour dough and to evaluate its performance in noodle‐making. This study demonstrates that alginate can be used as a food additive to control and modify the rheology and texture of wheat flour products.