Three significant classes of noodles:
- Japanese form of white salted noodles (udon)
- Cantonese style yellow alkaline noodles
- Instant noodles
Many other regional or local types of noodles can be shown to be variants of these with varying formulation, wheat quality demands, and expected texture and color outcomes.In particular, salted noodles other than Japanese udon, such as in China, usually have a very different texture and require wheat flour with stronger dough and possibly lower swelling starch.
Starch and protein are the keys to wheat flour quality for noodles.
Noodles generally contain salt (NaCl) and/or an alkaline additive (often a mixture of sodium and potassium carbonate).
The interaction of starch and protein with these components is important.
Understanding how to measure and assess starch and protein quality is essential for any applied research in noodles.
China is far biggest producer and consumer of wheat in the world. China is also increasingly becoming a major importer of wheat.In Asia, as disposable incomes rise, there is an increase in wheat consumption at the expense of diminishing rice consumption.
Whatever the outcome of China’s efforts to increase production, global trade in wheat is set to increase and prices may be expected to rise in the medium to long term.
Many tropical countries are also large consumers of wheat products but have essentially no domestic production, such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
Although there is significant wheat production in Japan, the agricultural sector is not competitive on price, and Japan has long been a major wheat importer.
Thus, Asia seems certain to dominate a fast increasing global trade in wheat well into the future.
Major exporters such as the United States, Canada, and Australia will be exporting into increasingly quality conscious markets.
Scientists and technologists of these countries are fully aware of this significant shift in the market development and realize that quality selection will increasingly be focused on Asian end uses such as noodles and steamed bread.
Making Noodles
