Improving the Quality Characteristics of Alum-Free Wet Starch Noodles: From the Perspective of Changing Types of Starches Used for Binder Pastes

Starch noodles, suitable for celiac patients due to their gluten-free nature, often face challenges such as poor structural stability, low cooking resistance, and easy breakage. Alum (KAl(SO4)2·12H2O) is applied to improve the textural and cooking characteristics, and Al3+ can accumulate in the body after long-term intake of alum, posing a serious threat to human health. Therefore, developing new methods to improve the quality of alum-free starch noodles is essential. Binder paste preparation is a crucial initial step in starch noodle processing, which can influence the quality of starch noodles by affecting the structure and rheological properties of the starch dough. In this study, the granular characteristics of different types of starches (potato starch, pea starch, and sweet potato starch), the rheological properties of their binder paste and starch dough, and the texture and microstructure of corresponding wet starch noodles were investigated. The results indicated that the rheological properties and the stability of starch dough during the dropping process largely depended on the viscosity, consistency, uniformity, and shear resistance of the binder paste, ultimately affecting the tensile and shear properties of the wet starch noodles. Correlation analysis showed that binder paste prepared by potato starch with larger particle size and pea starch displayed higher stability than that of other three starches; their starch dough also exhibited better consistency and dropping performance, which contributed to the excellent continuity and tensile strength of wet starch noodles. These findings could provide a theoretical basis for producing alum-free wet starch noodles by changing the type of starch used in binder paste preparation from the point of view of food quality enhancement, economy, and human health protection.