Mechanical properties of white salted noodles from near-isogenic wheat lines with different wx protein-deficiency

Flour with a low amylose content produces a desirable texture in white salted noodles (WSN). In order to understand the impact of amylose content on noodle texture, flours of similar quality but different starch characteristics must be compared and analyzed because the characteristics of the protein contained in the flour also affect the mechanical properties of WSN. In this study, eight genotypes of near-isogenic wheat with different compositions of the Wx-proteins involved in amylose synthesis were used to study the relationship between the mechanical properties of WSN and their amylose content in starch. Results of the study indicated that the breaking force/breaking deformation value of WSN made from the eight lines decreased and that softer noodles were obtained when the amylose content was lower. The gels made from flours and starches of the eight lines decreased in maximum compression stress, in line with the lowering of amylose content. These results show that the mechanical properties of WSN are determined primarily by the amylose content of the flour and the properties of the starch gel. Sensory evaluations of the WSN indicated that the noodles from the flours of single-null types, which lack either the Wx-B1 or Wx-D1 proteins, and double-null types, which lack the Wx-A1 and Wx-D1 proteins, especially the latter, had desirable textures.