Digestibility and Quality Characteristics of Noodles with Added Malic-Acid-Modified Wheat Starch

Starch digestion raises blood glucose levels and is associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. Hence, developing methods for controlling starch digestion is important. In this study, we prepared noodles from wheat flour containing malic-acid-modified starch (MAS), which contains a high proportion of thermostable resistant starch (RS). The quality and digestibility characteristics of these MAS-added noodles were evaluated to determine the optimal formulation. MAS was prepared by physicochemically modifying native wheat starch by adding 4 M malic acid and heating at 130 °C for 7 h. MAS-added noodles were produced by preparing a flour mixture in which 5-30% wheat flour was replaced with MAS. Compared to traditional wheat flour noodles, the addition of MAS resulted in inferior texture, extensibility, and cooking properties, along with higher solid losses, which negatively affect noodle quality. Nevertheless, less-rapidly digestible starch and more RS were observed at higher MAS levels. The inclusion of 10% MAS was found to afford the highest RS content while maintaining noodle quality similar to that of commercially available wheat flour; this formulation was determined to be optimal for producing MAS-added noodles. Therefore, MAS, with its enhanced thermostable RS content, is a promising low-calorie ingredient for use in the food industry. Further research into MAS and the development of MAS-based food products may promote the development of new and diverse low-calorie food options.