Die Cleaning and Storage

Die Cleaning and Storage
Some dies can be used to make more than one pasta product, but most are suitable for only a single shape.

This means that all pasta manufacturers must keep several dies on hand for use on a much smaller number of extruders.

It is not unusual to routinely make as many as 20 or 30 different pasta varieties in a plant that has only 2 to 3 large presses.

Consequently, the conditions or cleaning and storing dies must given careful attention.

Dies cleaning is one of the most sanitary operations in the pasta plant.

A relatively dry dough is forced into the holes in the die under pressure of approximately 1,000 psi.

When the press is shut down, the die cavity remains filled with a hard impacted material that is very difficult to remove.

Allowing the dough to dry in the small channels will create a blockage which could require drastic action to dislodge.

These considerations dictate the prompt and complete removal of all particles of dough from the doe as soon as production with that die is halted.

Cleaning of the die poses several problems. Because of the restricted access only a small part of the dough remaining in the doe is exposed to any cleaning solution or utensil that might be used.

Use of hard probes or wire brushes must be avoided because they can easily damage the dies.

The usual procedure is to remove the die from the press as soon as possible after production is interrupted and place it in a bath containing water that is continually moving and kept fresh.
Die Cleaning and Storage

Wheat Asian Noodles

Wheat Asian Noodles
Noodles represent a dominant usage of wheat flour in much of Asia.

Many Asian countries, including China, are rapidly growing wheat importers.

Exporting nations are increasingly interested in the quality requirements for wheat flour destined for use in noodles.

Foods scientists are interested in developing new, high quality, convenient forms of noodles, often developed from traditional formulations and processing methods.

A basic understanding of noodles requires an overview of their diversity, an in depth look at the scientific basis for quality in a few key types an some guidelines for testing methods and criteria that may aid in product development.

There are a few key points that should be emphasized regarding Asian noodles.

Asian wheat noodles are made from common wheat flour (hexaploid wheat Triticum aestivum, bread wheat), not from the durum wheat flour used for European type pasta.

Asian noodles are sheeted and cut from slow moisture dough, not extruded like European pasta.

In Asian noodles the key criteria for quality are texture and color.

Textural requirements are specific for different types of noodles and according to regional preferences.

Discoloration of noodles toward gray is a major negative.

In many cases the right color – the right white or yellow is essential.

The basic types of wheat or wheat composite noodles represent for main types:
*White salted, consisting of flour, water, and common salt and typified by the Japanese udon noodles

*Yellow alkaline noodles, consisting of flour, water and alkali and typified by Cantonese yellow noodles.

*Composite flour noodles where wheat flour is mixed with other starch based material such as buckwheat flour and typified by the Japanese soba noodles

*Instant noodles, where noodle is steamed (for starch gelatinization, i.e. cooking) and fried (for drying) and can be rapidly rehydrated before consumption, typified by the common instant ramen packaged noodles.

Starch noodles are prepared by mixing purified starch with some pre-gelatinized starch as a binder, mixing to a “dough” and extruding into boiling water.
Wheat Asian Noodles

Processing of Yellow Alkaline Noodles

Processing of Yellow Alkaline Noodles
Yellow alkaline noodles are essentially made from flour (100 parts), water (32 – 35 parts), and a solution of alkaline salts known as kansui or lye water (1 part).

These salts are usually a mixture of sodium and potassium carbonates (typically 9:1) or sodium hydroxide in some cases.

The alkaline salts confer a unique flavor and texture to the noodles and are responsible to the noodles are responsible for imparting the typical yellow color by detaching the flavones from starch and allowing their natural color to manifest.

Flours from hard wheat, with protein content in the range of 10-12%, with mellow gluten quality, is recommended for fresh alkaline noodle.

The desired textural characteristics are a bright, even light yellow appearance; free of any darkening or discoloration; a firm clean bite; a chewy and elastic texture with some degree of springiness; and a satisfactory al dente reaction on biting.

The basic procedure for making alkaline noodles is similar to that of white salted noodles, and lab scale method is described here below:

The ingredients (300 g flour, 96 ml water, Na2CO3 - 2.7 g and K2CO3 -0.3 g) are mixed in a mixer for 1 min at slow speed, 1 min at fast speed m and then for 3 min at slow speed.

The crumbly dough is sheeted between steel rollers, 2.75 mm apart, in a Ohtake noodle machine.

The dough sheet is folded and passed between the rollers twice and then allowed to lie at rest for 30 min in a plastic bag.

The single sheet of dough is then passed between the rollers, with the clearance successively reduced to 2.5, 2.0 and 1.5 mm.

After standing for 3 h at 25 degree C, the noodles are placed in wire mesh and cooled in boiling water until the uncooked core has just disappeared ( about 5 min); the cooked noodles are used for sensory testing.
Processing of Yellow Alkaline Noodles