There are now three main types of instant noodles, including fried instant noodles, non-fried instant noodles and fresh wet noodles. We now eat the most is fried instant noodles, but because of its high oil content, people are considered unhealthy, the development of non-fried instant noodles is also more and more, many dry noodles use non-fried noodles. Fresh wet noodles are more common in our breakfast, generally have a short shelf life, need to be re-cooked and cooked, not to be discussed here.
Asked what ingredients are determined by the "Q bomb" attribute of instant noodles, I posted two pictures, the ingredients of Imabari instant noodles and unified instant noodle cakes (they are very famous, should not be counted as advertising, hahahu), and then talk about them one by one.
First of all, we can see that three of these recipes are generally added to making noodles, wheat flour (noodles voiceover: this is not nonsense, there is no you have me), edible salt and edible alkali (sodium carbonate). Wheat flour can make noodles, mainly the role of gluten protein, edible salt and edible alkali are conducive to the formation of gluten network (the specific role of temperature mother, I will not add extra space).
Phosphates (compound phosphate effect is better, that is, sodium tripolyphosphate in the above ingredient list, sodium hexametaphosphate dihydrogen, sodium pyrophosphate and sodium dihydrogen phosphate, etc., the proportion of different effects will also be different, different manufacturers have their own use formula) is also a commonly used quality improver in instant noodles, the main purpose is to increase the water absorption capacity and water retention capacity of noodle products, improve the rehydration ability and smoothness of noodles.
The following focuses on other quality improvers: starch, protein and colloid, which are the three quality improvers that are the biggest difference between instant noodles and ordinary noodles (generally do not add these).
Starch is generally added with raw starch and modified starch, raw starch generally adds potato starch, tapioca starch, etc., modified starch generally adds acetate esterified starch (both brands of dough cakes are added to this), hydroxypropyl starch or pre-gelatinized starch (mainly increase the rehydration of the dough cake). Its role is to contribute to the viscoelasticity of the strip, because the starch is more viscous after water absorption and expansion, there will be part of the starch filled in the dough through the network structure, the gluten protein and starch granules and starch granules and starch granules and starch granules are gluted together to form a better viscoelasticity, and the network structure formed by the starch itself and the gluten network structure are interspersed with each other, which further enhances this property, and increases the elasticity, cohesion, chewability and recovery of the noodles in terms of texture characteristics.
Protein is generally added is gluten powder, gluten powder is rich in gliadin and gluten, water absorption, viscoelasticity, elongation, etc. are very strong, which in the instant noodles have a great contribution to stretchability and elasticity, but the amount of addition must be controlled, because the hardness of the noodles will increase, the time to rehydrate increase. Among them, Jinmai Lang's did not add gluten flour.
Colloidal two kinds of noodles have been added, namely guar gum and xanthan gum, its main role is also to increase the adhesion capacity and water retention of the dough, which can effectively reduce the break rate of noodles, making the noodles more smooth and non-paste soup.
I think from the point of view of ingredients, the main role in the elasticity of instant noodles is some of the above quality improvers, and the single use effect will definitely be weakened.
I think the Q bomb of instant noodles, in addition to the recipe of the dough cake, there is also a point that is very important, that is, the drying method. People who carefully "eat noodles" will find that fried instant noodles will be better than non-fried instant noodles in general, because the temperature is higher during the frying process, the water evaporates in a short period of time, and there are many holes inside the noodles, which not only makes the rehydration time shorter, but also the moisture is quickly filled, the gluten network is more meticulous and perfect, and the taste will be better. The drying method of non-frying generally has a longer drying process, resulting in a less effective effect in this regard.
In summary, the Q-bomb characteristics of instant noodles are determined by both the recipe and the process of pasta, and they are constantly improving.