Physicochemical properties of starches from various pea and lentil varieties, and characteristics of their noodles prepared by high temperature extrusion

- Starches from pea and lentil were extracted by a laboratory wet milling method.
- Differences in physicochemical properties for pea and lentil starches were observed.
- Noodles from pea and lentil starches were prepared by high temperature extrusion.
- Pea starch noodle had firmer texture as compared to lentil starch noodle.
- Firmness of noodles was positively correlated with starch size and amylose content.

Starches from several varieties of field pea and lentil were extracted using a laboratory wet milling procedure, and noodles from those starches were prepared by high temperature extrusion process. Physicochemical properties of the starches and characteristics of their noodles were investigated. Pea starch had significantly higher amylose content than lentil starch. Mean starch granule size for pea starch was larger than that for lentil starch. Lentil starch exhibited significantly higher swelling power, but lower solubility than pea starch. Pasting temperature and peak and breakdown viscosities were significantly higher, whereas setback and final viscosities were significantly lower for lentil starch than for pea starch. Amylose content was positively correlated with solubility (r = 0.693, p < 0.05) and setback (r = 0.851, p < 0.01) and final (r = 0.797, p < 0.05) viscosities, but negatively correlated with swelling power (r = − 0.796, p < 0.05). Pea starch noodles prepared by extrusion cooking displayed significantly lower expansion ratio, and were less bright in color than lentil starch noodles. Noodles from pea starch exhibited significantly lower cooking loss and higher cooked weight than those from lentil starch. Textural analysis showed that cooked pea starch noodles displayed significantly higher firmness values, but lower surface stickiness than cooked lentil starch noodles. Cooked noodles from starch of smaller granule size, lower amylose, higher swelling power, and lower setback and lower final viscosities exhibited lower firmness, but higher surface stickiness. Cooked pea and lentil starch noodles exhibited superior texture when compared to the commercial mung bean noodles prepared by traditional method.