Noodles

Instant noodles, which can be eaten quickly just by adding hot water, tend to soften because the storage period after being heated in the factory is long and the starch ages during this time. This means that the noodles sometimes break apart making it difficult to eat with chopsticks.

Instant noodles containing alginate increase in stiffness and have an improved mouthfeel after the addition of water making these noodles suitable in many products.

When consumers eat chilled noodles that are sold at convenience stores and supermarkets, considerable time has passed since the noodles were cooked, so maintaining good noodle texture is important. Alginate is widely used as an improver for the texture of chilled noodles.

Boiling alginate-containing noodles in calcium-containing water creates an alginate gel coating on the surface of the noodles preventing the exudation of starch. As a result, the noodles become less sticky and the noodles dispersibility can be improved. Alginate is also used to improve texture and dispersibility in chilled noodles that are eaten by exposing them to flowing water.

Adding alginate to pasta improves the hardness after boiling and prevents the texture from softening. The texture of frozen pasta can also be improved after microwaving. It has also been reported to have the effect of preventing dried noodles from breaking during storage.

Due to the health-conscious and diet boom, new types of noodles (such as low calorie, low sugar, and gluten-free) are needed. To provide these new products, non-wheat-based noodles are required.
The alginate gelling function can be used to make noodles from ingredients not normally used, such as soybeans, rice flour and seaweeds.

Noodles made with grains (such as soybeans) have a lower sugar content than wheat noodles. Tofu can also be processed into noodles but the texture is too soft to make into a well-formed noodle.
Alginate can solve these problems. Alginate and calcium gelation can provide good strength and texture to noodles. Alginate gels are heat resistant, so heat sterilization is also possible.

Gluten (a protein in wheat flour) is a known allergen in wheat. Gluten-free foods were originally developed as dietary treatments for people with wheat allergies, but in recent years they have also gained popularity in health foods. A typical type of gluten-free noodle is based on rice flour. However, it is very difficult to process rice flour into noodles, as it gets very soft or even melts when boiled.

When alginate is blended into rice flour noodles, the dough becomes workable and noodle processing becomes easier. The noodle strength increases and the texture after boiling are also good. Starch exudation when boiling is suppressed. In addition to improving the yield of noodles, the turbidity of boiling water is reduced and the cleaning effort is also reduced.