Mechanical characteristics of buckwheat noodles made with blue-green alga, ishi-kurage (Nostoc commune Vauch.)

The present study was conducted to clarify the effect of a kind of blue-green algae, i.e., ishi-kurage , on the mechanical characteristics of buckwheat noodles. Mechanical analysis of buckwheat noodles with ishi-kurage showed that incorporation of ishi-kurage into buckwheat noodles enhanced breaking stress and energy. Sensory evaluation with human panels showed that buckwheat noodles with ishi-kurage were more preferred when compared with noodles without ishi-kurage. On the other hand, incorporation of ishi-kurage into buckwheat noodles enhanced decreased solubility of the albumin plus globulin fraction. The present study finding suggests that the endogenous protein may be an important factor responsible for the mechanical characteristic of buckwheat noodles with ishi-kurage.