Effect of preheated chestnut on the texture and starch digestibility properties of chestnut noodles

Noodles with chestnut are nutritious and healthy, but untreated chestnut has a negative impact on noodles quality. In this study, the improvement effect of chestnuts with heat treatments (cooking, microwaving, baking) on chestnut noodles quality was investigated. Results showed that heat treatment enhanced the solubility, swelling power, and gelatinization properties of chestnut. Compared with untreated chestnut, the heat-treated chestnut reduced the starch digestibility of chestnut noodles. In particular, the addition of 25% microwave-treated chestnut resulted in noodles with excellent cooking, sensory, textural, and tensile properties. FTIR and SDS protein extraction results further suggested that adding less than 25% microwave-treated chestnut improved the overall quality of chestnut noodle by optimizing the protein secondary structure, enhancing molecular aggregation, and strengthening the gluten network continuity. Overall, especially microwave heat treatment can serve as a promising strategy to optimize the texture and starch digestibility properties of chestnut noodles.