Effects of Addition of Polymannuronic Acid on the Quality of Wet Noodles

The purpose of this study was to use polymannuronic acid (polymann) obtained from the polysaccharide, component of brown seaweed, to convert wet noodles to healthier noodles. The study also investigated the effects of polymann on the quality of wet noodles. The wet noodles were prepared with composite flour containing various contents of polymann. The characteristics of the wet and cooked noodles, such as color, texture, cooking properties and sensory attributes, were evaluated. The addition of polymann did not affect the cooking weight, volume and water absorption. The turbidity of polymann noodle soup increased slightly as the amount of polymann in the noodles was increased. The L, a and b values of wet and cooked polymann noodles decreased as the amount of polymann was increased. Texture properties increased proportionally as the amount of polymann was increased. The hardness of noodles made with polymann was lower than that of control, while the springiness and adhesiveness of polymann noodles were higher than those of control. In sensory evaluations, there were no significant differences between control noodles and those containing 2% and 4% polymann. However, noodles with 2% polymann received significantly higher taste scores than the other noodles.