The effect of sodium chloride on microstructure, water migration, and texture of rice noodle

It is believed that salt can reduce the hardness and increase the elasticity of dried rice noodle. However, there is no scientific evidence on the role of salt on the quality of the dried rice noodle. This work aimed to investigate the effect of NaCl on the microstructure of dried rice noodle, water migration in rice noodle during cooking, and the texture of cooked rice noodle. The level of NaCl used in this study was 0, 3, and 5 g NaCl/100 g rice flour. Confocal Laser Scanning micrographs revealed that NaCl enhanced the development of the protein network but it reduced the packing of starch lumps in the dried rice noodle. Water distribution inside the rice noodle during rehydration was revealed for the first time using MRI. Water migrated more slowly into the rice noodle with NaCl than the control (without NaCl) because the amount, size, and the depth of pores of the dried rice noodle with NaCl were reduced due to the formation of the protein network. It was found that NaCl increased the extensibility and decreased the tensile strength of the cooked rice noodle. The cooking loss increased with the increase in the NaCl concentration.