Physicochemical properties of wheat granular flour and quality characteristics of the corresponding fresh noodles as affected by particle size

Wheat granular flour (GF) is highly nutritious due to low machining precision but the large particle size leads to poor processability. By reducing the particle size from 224 μm to 62 μm without sifting in the present study, flour chemical compositions, dough rheology, and fresh noodle qualities were tracked, and the underlying mechanism was preliminarily explored through the changes in corresponding dough's gluten quality, water–solid interaction, and microstructures. Results indicated that only moisture significantly decreased and damaged starch signally increased with the reduction in particle size. Compared with refined flour, all the GF samples had higher ash, dietary fiber, beneficial lipids, and intact endosperm cells. Noticeably, the GF samples with particle size from 91 μm to 68 μm developed higher gluten quality and quantity, stronger water-solids interplay, and optimal gluten networks; therefore, the resultant doughs displayed a super balance between viscosity and elasticity. Accordingly, the noodles possessed excellent consumer acceptability with higher water absorption, lower cooking loss, and higher smoothness and chewiness after optimum cooking. These observations provide a theoretical basis for wheat flour processing and the development of healthier wheat-based noodles using the GF as raw material.