Regulating the quality and starch digestibility of buckwheat-dried noodles through steam treatment

Pregelatinized buckwheat flour is often used to improve the quality of buckwheat noodles. However, the effect of steam treatment of buckwheat flour on noodles quality and starch digestibility is still unclear. In this paper, the quality and starch digestibility of buckwheat noodles were modulated by the addition of partially gelatinized white buckwheat flour (WBF) treated with steam. The degree of gelatinization (DG) in starch increased (11%- 78%) with the increase of moisture content during steam treatment. As DG increased, the solubility and swelling power of WBF increased at room temperature, while the swelling power decreased at 100 degrees C. Meanwhile, the enthalpy decreased, the gelatinization temperature increased, and all pasting viscosities decreased. The supplement of 60% pregelatinized starch to wheat flour significantly improved the strength and stability of dough, as well as the cooking and texture characteristics of buckwheat noodles. As DG increased, the digestion degree of WBF increased. However, the lowest digestion degree (35.81) of noodles with WBF addition appeared at DG 40, indicated the trend for the digestibility of noodles was inconsistent with that of WBF. In summary, the addition of partially gelatinized starch can significantly reduce the digestibility of starch in buckwheat noodles by strengthening the structure of noodles.