Physicochemical Properties of Chinese Noodles Supplemented with Gracilaria tenuistipitata powder

[[abstract]]The objectives of this study were to exam the functional properties of Gracilaria tenuistipitata and to evaluate its further use in noodle making. Specimens Gracilaria tenuistipitata was examined on the aspects of their pH value, moisture content, water activity, solubility, swelling, water holding capacity, bulk density, color, VBN, total plate count, texture, cooking properties and sensory evaluation test. The results indicated that the oven-dried Gracilaria tenuistipitata contained 9.50% moisture, 15.30% protein, 1.10% fat, 20.12% ash and 42.18% dietary fiber. Water holding capacity, solubility, swelling and bulk density capacity increased significantly (P 0.05) between oil binding capacity and particle size reduction. With the replacement of the same amount of powder of Gracilaria tenuistipitata in noodle, the color, physical and cooking properties of the noodle show no significant differences. But the noodles with size of 246-147 mm produced significant differences in the sensory evaluation. As for Blanching, adding the water would lead to a better flavor, the longer the water preserved in, and the softer the texture. On the other hand, it shows no significant differences in their physical and chemical properties when adding the produced activated carbon into the noodles before the treatment. With 3%, 6%, 9% and 12% of pre-treatment Gracilaria tenuistipitata substitution in noodle, reductions of L value, b value, hardness, cooking volume, cooking moisture content, and cooking weight, but increase of cooking loss and b value. In addition the sensory evaluation scores of noodle, the product with 3% and 6% Gracilaria tenuistipitata powder is better than other test group