A novel wheat oligopeptide noodles: enhances quality and in vitro antioxidant activity
摘要
Fresh wet noodles are a popular category of noodle products due to their desirable sensory properties; however, they typically lack health-promoting functions. Wheat oligopeptides (WOP) have been demonstrated to possess excellent antioxidant properties and are widely utilised in food applications. This study systematically analysed the effects of WOP addition levels (0%–4%) and three types of quality-improving agents (modified cassava starch, MCS; sodium stearoyl lactylate, SSL; glutamine transaminase, TGE) on noodle cooking characteristics, tensile property, textural properties, sensory quality, and antioxidant activity. Results indicate that as the addition of WOP increases, the water absorption rate of noodles rises within the 0%–3% range, with a significant decrease at 4%. Cooking loss rates continue to increase, the gluten network structure weakens, and textural indicators such as hardness and elasticity decrease. Through single-factor and orthogonal experiments, the preparation process for 3% wheat oligopeptide noodles was optimised. The optimal combination of modifiers was determined as: 4% MCS, 0.1% SSL, and 1.5% TGE. Noodles produced with this formulation exhibited the best edible quality. Antioxidant experiments demonstrated that the modified wheat oligopeptide noodles exhibited a 42.13% increase in DPPH radical scavenging capacity and a 30.67% improvement in ABTS⁺ radical scavenging capacity. Their total antioxidant capacity reached 1.527 mM Fe²⁺/g, significantly outperforming conventional wheat noodles. This study demonstrates that WOP, when combined with composite quality-improving agents, synergistically enhance the edible quality and in vitro antioxidant activity of noodles. In the future, its functionality can be further verified through animal experiments or clinical trials.