Sensory and physicochemical properties of whole wheat salted noodles under different preparations of bran.

Whole wheat products have gained popularity in recent years due to the health and nutritional benefits, with Asian salted noodles as one formulation. However, there is a general perception of decreased product quality and sensory acceptance of whole wheat noodles This study examined changes to sensory properties, texture (tensile and compressive strength), color, and cooking loss of noodles prepared from blends of wheat flour and bran that underwent five forms of hydro, thermal, pressure and their combined treatments: autoclaving, extrusion, jet-cooking, puffing, and roasting. Including the control (bran without processing) all six treatments were deemed palatable by sensory panel evaluation despite having statistically significant differences in physiochemical and sensory properties. For instance, 10 of the 22 sensory properties demonstrated significant differences among treatments. Bran processing tended to result in weaker (tensile and compressive strength) and stickier noodles while allowing for greater uptake of water during cooking. Image 1 • Five thermal and pressure processing treatments of wheat bran were studied. • Puffing bran pretreatment produced the greatest number of favorable sensory ratings. • Mouthfeel ratings are correlated with compressive and tensile physical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]