Exploring the underlying mechanisms on starch restricted swelling-induced reduction in digestion rate of buckwheat noodles

•The swelling degree of starch in different parts of cooked noodles was quantified.•The denser gluten network could restrict the swelling of starch in cooked noodles.•Noodles with stronger water retention ability reduced the accessibility of enzyme.•Noodles with higher cohesiveness was difficult to disperse during digestion.•Buckwheat noodles with dense structure are digested more slowly than wheat noodles.•The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.