Water Sorption Kinetics of Wheat Noodle with Different Diameters

Abstract

The water sorption properties of udon-like wheat noodle were measured at different temperatures to estimate changes in the moisture content and loss of mass; transient changes in these properties could be expressed by hyperbolic and exponential empirical equations, respectively. The maximum moisture content changed stepwise with temperature near the gelatinization temperature of wheat flour; however, the initial sorption rate with temperature obeyed the Arrhenius equation. These processes were also measured for wheat noodle with different initial diameters at 100°C. Changes in the moisture content could be expressed by a hyperbolic equation as a function of time divided by the square of the initial diameter. The loss of wheat noodle mass was proportional to the specific surface area, and the loss per specific surface area could be expressed solely as a function of time.