Cooking characteristics and quality of noodles from food sorghum

Three white food sorghums, ATx631*RTx436, ATxARG*RTx436, and SC283-14, were decorticated, milled into flour and processed into 100% sorghum noodles. F lour, water, and salt (1%) were preheated using a hotplate or a microwave o ven. The mixtures were put through a forming extruder to produce noodles. E xtruded noodles were dried by three methods: air-dry method (23 degrees C, 48 hr); one-stage (60 degrees C, 30% rh, 3 hr), or two-stage (60 degrees C, 100% rh for 2 hr followed by 60 degrees C, 30% rh for 2 hr). Noodles were evaluated dry and after cooking. Sorghum flours with smaller particle sizes yielded better noodles. The microwave preheating method yielded better noo dles than the hot-prate method. Stronger and firmer noodles, dry or cooked, were prepared using two-stage drying compared with the other drying method s. Fine flour that was preheated using a microwave oven and dried using the two-stage method gave the best noodles with moderate (10%) dry matter loss . Optimized processing conditions yielded sorghum noodles with good qualiti es when properly cooked.