1. Raw MaterialNoodles can be made from wheat flour alone or in combination with buckwheat flour. Wheat flour noodles include Chinese and Japanese type noodles. There are many varieties in each noodle type, representing different formulation, processing and noodle quality characteristics. Noodles containing buckwheat are also called soba, meaning buckwheat noodle. These noodles are typically light brown or gray in color with a unique taste and flavor. Chinese type noodles are generally made from hard wheat flours, characterized by bright creamy white or bright yellow color and firm texture. Japanese noodles are typically made from soft wheat flour of medium protein (discussed later). It is desirable to have a creamy white color and a soft and elastic texture in Japanese noodles.

2. Quality RequirementsIn many cases, physical quality measurements ofwheat and wheat test methods are similar and independent of end products made. For example, wheat should be clean and sound, high in test weight, and uniform in kernel size and hardness. These characteristics result in efficient milling and high flour extraction, and, possibly, optimum quality end products. The US Federal Grain Inspection Service grades a wheat according to the test weight, defects, wheat of other classes present and other contamination. The Falling Number test is done to determine wheat sprout damage level. Wheat kernel hardness, diameter, weight and their distribution can be measured using a Single Kernel Characterization System. Wheat kernel hardness deserves particular attention since it affects the tempering conditions, flour starch damage level, flour particle distribution and milling yield. Damaged starch not only absorbs more water but may also reduce noodle cooking and eating quality. Accordingly, noodle wheat should not be too hard, and milling processes should be controlled to avoid excess starch damage. The uniformity of wheat kernel hardness appeared to improve milling performance (2). Low ash content in flour is always an advantagefor noodles since flour ash is traditionally viewed as causing noodle discoloration. One of the important noodle flour specifications is ash content, although there is no guarantee that low ash flour can always

make desirable color noodles. The presence of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in the flour is believed to be partially responsible for noodle darkening. Thus, it may be useful to measure the activity of this enzyme in the wheat. Wheat protein content is often determined, and gluten strength can be evaluated by a sedimentation test. Different noodle types require different protein contents and dough strength (discussed later). Generally speaking, Chinese type noodles need hard wheat of high protein content and strong gluten, and Japanese noodles require soft wheat of medium protein content.

3. Salt UsedBased on the absence or presence of alkaline salt in the formula, noodles can be classified as white (containing salt) noodles or yellow (containing alkaline salt) noodles. Alkali gives noodles their characteristic yellowness. White salt noodles comprise Japanese noodles, Chinese raw noodles or dry noodles. Chinese wet noodles, hokkien noodles, Cantonese noodles, chuka-men, Thai bamee, and instant noodles fall under the yellow alkaline noodle category.

4. SizeAccording to the width of the noodle strands, Japanesenoodles are classified into four types.

(Table I).

Name Characteristics

So-men Very thin 0.7-1.2 mm wide

Hiya-mughi Thin 1.3-1.7 mm wide

Udon Standard 1.9-3.8 mm wide

Hira-men Flat 5.0-6.0 mm wide

Since the smaller size noodles usually soften faster inhot water than the larger size, so-men and hiya-mughinoodles are usually served cool in the summer, andudon and hira-men are often eaten hot in the coolseasons. Other noodle types also have their own typicalsize.

5. ProcessingThe simplest way to classify noodles based onprocessing is hand-made versus machine-made noodles. This is too generalized, however. Hand-made types, still available in Asia because of their favorable texture, were prevalent before the automatic noodle machine was invented in the 1950s. In some places, stretching noodles by hand is considered an art rather than noodle making. Noodle machines are best suited to mass production. Noodle processing operations include mixing raw materials, dough sheeting, compounding, sheeting /rolling and slitting. This series of processes remains constant among countries for all noodle types. Noodle strands are further processed to produce different kinds of noodles,and this can be a means of classification

(Table II).NOODLE PROCESSING

Noodle Type ProcessingFresh Noodle strands coming

out of slitting rolls are cut into certain lengths for packaging without any further processing. Typical examples are Chinese raw noodles, udon noodles, chuka-men, Thai bamee, Cantonese noodles and

soba noodles. These areoften consumed within 24 hours of manufacture due to quick discoloration. Theirshelf life can be extended to 3-5 days if stored under refrigeration.

Dried Fresh noodle stands are dried by sunlight or in a controlled chamber. Chinese raw noodles, Cantonese noodles, chuka-men, udon noodles, and soba noodles can be indried form. Noodle shelf life is dramatically extended, but fragile noodles may havehandling problems.

Boiled Fresh noodle strands are either parboiled (90% complete cooking) or fully cooked.This type includes: Chinese wet noodles, hokkien noodles, udon noodles, and soba

noodles. After parboiling, Chinese wet noodles and hokkien noodles are rinsed incold water, drained and coated with 1-2% vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Boiledudon and soba noodles are not coated with oil. Boiled noodles are re-cooked foranother 1-2 minutes before serving.

Steamed Fresh alkaline noodle strands are steamed in a

steamer and softened with water through rinsing or steeping. This type is also called “Yaki-Soba”,

and it is often prepared by stir-frying for consumption

None of the approaches discussed above are sufficient to define each noodle type. For instance, boiled noodles contain fully cooked and parboiled types. Parboiled types include both hokkien and Chinese wet noodles. In addition, wet noodles are parboiled in most of Asia, but are fresh, uncooked noodles in Japan. Therefore, a possible

nomenclature should incorporate key aspects such as formulation and basic processing to fully describe the nature of each noodle type.

6. Five of Our Major Noodle Production Lines

1) YFM-serial Frying instant noodle machines, complete set of production line, cup or bag noodles The line can also be modified to make dry noodle snacks2) HFM-serial Non-frying (drying process) instant noodle machines, complete set of production line, cup or bag noodles 3) Cooking noodle machines, complete set of production line, drying process 4) Stick noodle production line5) Fresh raw (or instant) noodle production line

Dashanjiang noodle machines in the world famous UNILEVER COMPANY (Vietnam)...

7. Flowchart Two popular serials of our noodle production lines

1. YFM-serial

YFM-serial is the frying instant noodle production line. The instant noodles will be ready to serve simply by soaking in hot water for 3-5 minutes. The dry instant noodles can also be consumed as snack.Process name: 1. Flour conveying => 2. Mixing ingredient => 3. Aging => 4. Compound rolling => 5. Slitting and ripple forming => 6. Steaming => 7. First cooling => 8. Cutting fold => 9. Frying => 10. Arranging => 11. Cooling => 12. Inspecting conveying => 13. Final Product

The flow chart is:

2. HFM-serial

HFM-serial is the drying noodles production line. This process is usually used to make dry noodles that should be boiled in water before serving. However, under proper operation parameters, it can also make low fat instant noodles.Process name: 1. Flour conveying => 2. Mixing ingredient => 3. Aging => 4. Compound rolling => 5. Slitting and ripple forming => 6. Steaming => First cooling => 7. Cutting fold and dividing => 8. Drying => 9. Cooling => 10. Final Product

The flow chart is:

ANTIOXIDANTS CASE STUDY: Stretching Noodle Shelf-lifeRosemary extracts offer manufacturers an alternative to synthetic products. Read more to find out about the benefits.Dated: 1 August 2006

BY GEOK TIN NEO AND HAN VAN DER BROEK KEMIN FOOD INGREDIENTS

Recently, manufacturers have demonstrated an interest in naturally-occurring antioxidants because of the worldwide trend towards the reduction or elimination of artificial food additives. So over the past two years, Kemin Food Ingredients has studied the efficacy of natural antioxidants in frying oil for instant-noodle production.

BackgroundIn one recently-completed project, Kemin looked at replacing 200ppm synthetic TBHQ (tert-butylhydroquinone) in frying oil (RBD palm olein) with natural, proprietary, rosemary extract (Kemin's Fortium brand). During the study, the quality of the frying oils was evaluated pre- and post-frying through an analysis of decomposition materials—polar compound and peroxide values, alkenals, and free fatty acids.Shelf-life studies of the instant noodles were carried out at two storage temperatures: In ambient conditions (25°C), and in the oven (45°C). Accelerated tests were done on noodle samples that were kept at ambient temperature—using the Oxygen Bomb Test and Oxidative Stability Instrument—on a regular basis throughout the shelf-life studies.

Sensory evaluation was conducted with approximately 20 consumer panelists using the noodles samples stored at ambient temperature, at the same time points. Oxidative-indicator tests like peroxide values (PV) and alkenals were done on a regular basis for samples stored at both temperatures.

Test resultsAs expected, noodles without any antioxidant treatment were the least stable. Over the months, oxidative stability of the noodles dropped, which was most obvious after nine months of storage at room temperature. In comparison, oxidative deterioration of instant noodles fried in oil with 200ppm TBHQ was the least, compared to other antioxidant treatments and the control. The most effective natural antioxidant was reportedly rosemary extract. After 39 weeks of storage at ambient temperature, the PV of the control noodles exceeded 10 milliEquivalent/kilogram, rendering the noodles unfit for

human consumption. By week 12 at storage temperature of 45°C, the PV of the 200 ppm TBHQ and natural-rosemary extract noodles were still below 10 milliEquivalent/kilogram.

Usually, when people in the industry hear about rosemary, their first concern is that ‘herbal odors’ might affect the sensory acceptance of their finished product. With the right rosemary extract, at the appropriate dose rate, this should not be the case. In this study, a sensory panel judged no significant differences in the rank position of control, 200 ppm TBHQ and rosemary-extract treatments. In terms of color, the rosemary-treated noodles were reportedly best preferred, followed by control and 200 ppm TBHQ respectively. In terms of smell, preference was given to rosemary-treated noodles, followed by the TBHQ treatment. In terms of taste, there was no significant difference in the rank position of all treatments.

FindingsNatural-rosemary extract was able to replace TBHQ without sacrificing quality. With no legal use limitations, the inclusion rate of natural antioxidants can be increased to improve the stability and shelf-life of instant noodles—beyond what can be achieved with only 200 ppm TBHQ.

Health/cost benefitsConsumer awareness and growth in the premium-food market has contributed to the use of more expensive natural antioxidants. Still, synthetic food antioxidants are holding onto market share owing to the fact that they are by far lower-cost products. Usually, a manufacturer's first reaction is resistance. S/he may believe that switching to a natural antioxidant is an option too expensive to even consider. However, if one looks closely, cost at the retail level is negligible. By deciding to go the ‘natural’ route with instant noodles, marketing and sales departments need to be more actively involved in delivering the premium image of their product to market. What is an additional cost of less than 1 cent per cake, in comparison to a company’s opportunity to take the lead in the market with a clean label?

For comparison purposes, it is worth noting that in the average retail market the price difference between the top- and bottom-end instant noodle is far greater than the cost of switching to a natural antioxidant. Contrary to some popular beliefs, using a natural antioxidant to clean up one's label could be seen as an opportunity to introduce a healthy, premium, consumer-friendly product.

Instant Noodle Trivia

In 1958, Nissin Food Products created ‘Chicken Ramen’, the world’s first instant noodle. Since then, demand has grown. In 2001, over 1 million MT of instant noodles were produced in China; about 700,000 MT in both Japan and Indonesia; 270,000 MT in South Korea; 200,000 MT in Vietnam; 80,000 MT in Thailand; 50,000 MT in Taiwan; and 40,000 MT in the Philippines. Consumption has risen steadily since 1995 in several Asian countries.