Starch noodles: History, classification, materials, processing, structure, nutrition, quality evaluating and improving

Starch noodles, produced from purified starch of various plant sources, are a major category of Asian noodles. This review summarizes the current knowledge on: (1) Definition, naming, history and categories of starch noodles. (2) The morphological, physico-chemical, thermal, rheological characteristics and molecular structure of materials including mung bean starch, pea starch, sweet potato starch, potato starch and corn starch. (3) Processing technology of starch noodles including dropping, extruding and cutting. (4) Structure of starch noodles: it is composed of hydrolysis-resistant crystalline zone, network-like framework and filler mass. (5) Nutrition of starch noodles: it could be evaluated by the digestibility of starch, hydrolysis properties of gelatinized and retrograded starches, hydrolysis property of starch noodles. (6) Quality evaluating of starch noodles: it includes sensory, cooking and texture property. Correlation between the physical properties of starch, processing variables and the sensory, cooking and texture property of starch noodles are summarized. (7) Quality improving for non-mung bean starch noodles: (a) using other materials such as red bean starch, pigeonpea starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, corn starch, to substitute totally or partly mung bean starch; (b) adding chemically modified starch; (c) adding physically modified starch; (d) biologically treating starch; (e) using additives such as chitosan, polysaccharide gums.