EFFECT OF FLOUR REFINEMENT ON RAW CANTONESE NOODLE COLOR AND TEXTURE

Wheats representing the five major common wheat classes grown in weste rn Canada were milled on an Allis-Chalmers laboratory mill, and indivi dual streams were composited on the basis of ascending ash content to represent extraction rates of approximately 30, 50, 60, 70, and 75%. R aw Cantonese noodles prepared from these flours were: 1) assessed for raw noodle color with a HunterLab reflectance spectrocolorimeter, and 2) assessed for cooked noodle texture with an Instron Universal Testin g Machine. Raw noodle brightness (L) decreased, and yellowness (b*) i ncreased with time and decresed with flour refinement for all wheat cl asses. Red-green chromaticity (+/-a), on the other hand, was class de pendent; the color in raw noodles either increased (became redder) or decreased (became greener) at 4 hr after preparation. All the raw nood les became redder after 24 hr. In general, raw noodles prepared from d ifferent wheat flours were comparably ranked in terms of brightness an d yellowness for each level of flour refinement. Interaction effects b etween wheat class and flour refinement were minimal. Instron Universa l Testing Machine textural measurements included maximum cutting stres s, resistance to compression, and surface firmness. Increases in flour protein levels and strengths from the different classes were accompan ied by increases in the values of textural properties of the cooked no odles. Within classes, the effects on textural properties caused by di fferences in flour refinement were not pronounced, with the exception of the Canada Western Red Spring class. Thus, the overall rankings of noodle quality according to color and texture are largely independent of flour refinement. A straight-grade flour can be satisfactorily used , therefore, for the comparative evaluation of the noodle-making quali ty of different flours.