FOOD TECHNOLOGY REPORT
Ashland Specialty Ingredients
ashland.com
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FTR-016-1 (Supersedes FTR-016)
Oil Reduction Strategies for Fried Asian Instant Noodles
With Ashland cellulose gums
Introduction
Fried Asian instant noodles are growing in global popularity as manufacturers of instant noodles are constantly
challenged with ingredient costs. Small price fluctuations in commodities such as palm oil can have a significant
impact on the profitability of products. This report presents cost-effective solutions that help instant noodle
manufacturers reduce the uptake of oil in instant noodles, and often improve the texture of the noodles.
Background
Although noodle manufacturers vary in their processes and formulations, there are common elements. Wheat flour
predominates in the formulations, and typically the wheat flour is made into dough through the addition of kansui
solutions. Kansui solutions are typically alkaline salt solutions composed of potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate,
and sodium chloride salts. Instant noodle dough is then sheeted, reduced in thickness, and cut into individual noodle
strands. The noodles are then steamed to gelatinize the wheat starch and further cooked through deep frying,
typically in palm oil. This process is presented visually in Figure 1.
Kansui preparation:
Potassium carbonate,
sodium carbonate,
sodium chloride +
water
Wheat Flour
Mixing
Sheeting
Cutting and block
forming
Steaming
Frying, cooling,
packaging
Figure 1. Process for manufacturing fried instant noodles
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representation, express or implied, for which Ashland assumes legal responsibility. ®Registered trademark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries. ™Trademark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various
countries. *Trademark owned by a third party. © 2013, 2014 Ashland.
Rev. 9-2014
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Asian instant noodles are typically formed in blocks, and packaged as such. Consumers then quickly cook the
noodles by immersing in hot water for 3 to 4 minutes. Because the noodles are precooked through the steaming and
frying processes, the preparation process is rapid.
There are health concerns in some regional markets about fat content of instant noodles because of the oil used for
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frying. Fat content varies from 15–25% in the final product, depending upon brands and markets.
The work described here represents an extensive, fundamental approach to understanding oil reduction in instant
noodles, which has resulted in solutions that:
• reduce total fat content by 2-3%,
• result in 12% less oil being adsorbed compared to noodles without Ashland’s cellulose gum (sodium
carboxymethylcellulose or CMC),
• improve noodle texture,
• and are easy to incorporate in manufacturing plants.
These results were achieved through consulting global experts and through a series of trials undertaken at the Wheat
Marketing Center in Portland, OR, USA. The Wheat Marketing Center has unique technical facilities for identifying the
best products and approaches for incorporating cellulose gums into fried instant noodles and reducing oil uptake
during the frying process.
Methods
The noodle processing scheme described in the Introduction is the basis for oil reducing strategies using Ashland
CMC. Two primary mechanisms for incorporating the cellulose gum into fried instant noodles are recommended. This
gives manufacturers options, depending upon the setup of their manufacturing process. The two methods are as
follows:
1. Adding CMC to the kansui solution, and adding this kansui solution to the wheat flour.
2. Dry addition of the CMC to the wheat flour, through mixing, before addition of the kansui.
Table 1 shows the formulations used for trials. United States Hard Red Winter wheat, at about 14% protein, was used
for the trials. A standard formula was used for the control product, and ingredients are listed on a “flour weight basis”
(i.e., 33% water was not the actual water content of the wheat dough, but is relative to the flour used).
Table 1. Formulations used in this study
Ingredient
Wheat flour
Kansui solution
Test formula for
Test formula for
CMC addition to the CMC addition to the
k ansui solution (g)
wheat flour (g)
Control formula (g)
100
100
100
39.1
37.9
34.7
Water
37
35
33
Sodium chloride
1.5
1.5
1.5
Potassium carbonate
0.1
0.1
0.1
Sodium carbonate
0.1
0.1
0.1
CMC FR-A
0.4
0
0
CMC FR-B
0
0.2
0
139.1
137.9
134.7
Total
Results were optimized for different use levels of CMC in addition to different types of CMC. A benefit that sets CMC
apart from other hydrocolloids is the fact that it is available in a wide range of viscosity grades with varying degrees of
substitution. In this report we are highlighting our most successful grade for addition to the kansui solution and our
most successful grade for addition to the wheat flour.
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Water level at the pilot plant was adjusted to compensate for the water absorbing ability of the CMC. More water was
needed at higher CMC use levels. In general, a 0.1% (flour basis) increase in CMC was accompanied by a 1% (flour
basis) increase in water. Kansui formulations were made to keep the amount of sodium chloride, potassium
carbonate, and sodium carbonate constant, but water levels were adjusted.
Process 1: CMC Addition to the Kansui Alkaline Salt Solution
a. CMC type FR-A was added to the kansui solution at 0.4% on a flour basis, with mixing, until fully hydrated.
An overhead mixer with moderate to high shear capability is the recommended method for incorporating into
the kansui solution. Full hydration was judged by a homogenous appearance, without any visible beads,
lumps or undissolved CMC.
b. For pilot plant scale trials at the W heat Marketing Center, batches were based on 800 g of wheat flour. After
the CMC/kansui solution was made, it was mixed into the 800 g of wheat flour in a horizontal mixer at
90 rpm for 2 minutes (see Figure 2). The mixer was then run for 10 minutes at 120 rpm. The dough was
allowed to rest for 5 minutes at room temperature, prior to sheeting.
Figure 2. Pilot plant scale mixer for mixing wheat flour and
CMC/kansui solution
c. The sheeting process was initiated by a compounding step, where the dough was formed between two pairs of
rollers with a 3 mm gap. These two sheets were then layered and compounded through rollers with a 5 mm
gap.
d. The sheet was reduced in thickness by passing through a consecutive series of rollers with gaps of 4 mm, 3
mm, 2 mm and 1.5 mm (see Figure 3). The final roller was calibrated for a 1.0 mm thickness, ±0.03 mm, and
noodles were cut at 1.0 mm. The cut noodles were then guided into a waved pattern using a waver as the
noodles exited the cutter.
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Figure 3. Size reduction process of dough sheets
e. Noodles were passed through a continuous tunnel steamer for 4 minutes, steaming at 98–100°C. The
noodles were then cut into 125 g blocks and fried in palm oil for 70 seconds at 150°C (see Figure 4).
Figure 4. A noodle block after frying
Process 2: Dry Addition of CMC to Wheat Flour
Kansui solution (Table 1) is prepared normally and the CMC is added to the wheat flour, prior to being hydrated by
the kansui solution. Prior to the 2 minute mixing of kansui and wheat flour, the wheat flour and CMC are mixed for a
minimum of 10 minutes at 90 rpm, for thorough dispersion of the CMC throughout the wheat flour. CMC type FR-B
was added to the wheat flour at 0.2% (flour basis, or 0.2 g of CMC type FR-B to each 100 g of wheat flour). The
water level was adjusted to be 35% flour basis because of the added CMC.
After thorough mixing of CMC type FR-B and wheat flour, steps b through e, as described in Process 1, were used for
Process 2.
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Mechanism
The frying of foods, including instant noodles, results in the development of macroscopic and microscopic pores,
that act as reservoirs to retain excess oil. We theorize that a key to oil reduction is to control the size, volume, and
number of pores in fried foods, and reduce the available volume for excessive oil storage.
Pores are created by the vaporization of internal water during the frying process, and rapid release through fissures
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and cracks that extend to the surface of the noodles. Frying is essential to preparing a fully cooked noodle that is
readily prepared for consumption by immersion in hot water, and is necessary for flavor and texture development.
However, the excessive oil that is retained in unnecessarily large pores may contribute to excessive fat content, and
is unneeded for the quality of the instant noodle.
Ashland Specialty Ingredients CMC grades are believed to reduce fat content of instant noodles by providing
structural integrity to the instant noodles during the steaming, and particularly the frying processes, resulting in
smaller pores, less volume and less pores. This will reduce the incremental oil uptake during frying processes that is
unnecessary for organoleptic and cooking properties.
Confocal Raman Spectroscopy is a technique that identifies fat residing in microscopic pores on the surface of the
instant noodles. Figure 5 shows a series of images that display
• a hexane extracted noodle, showing very little residual oil content,
• a control instant noodle without polymer,
• an instant noodle made with CMC FR-A at 0.4%, and
• an instant noodle made with CMC FR-B at 0.2%.
Figure 5. Confocal Raman spectroscopy images of various
noodle formulations after frying
To the right in Figure 5 is the scale (in arbitrary units) showing relative oil content. The highest oil content is found in
regions imaged as darkest red, and the darkest blue regions have the least oil content.
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Results
•
•
•
•
reduce total fat content by 2–3%,
resulting in 12% less oil being adsorbed compared to noodles without Ashland’s CMC,
improve noodle texture,
and are easy to incorporate in manufacturing plants.
Oil and Moisture Content Analysis
Oil and moisture content were measured by a Bruker Minispec MQ (Billerica, MA, USA) time-domain nuclear magnetic
resonance (TD-NMR) instrument. Prior to measuring fat content with the TD-NMR instrument, a calibration curve was
developed with palm oil used for frying, at known quantities. The TD-NMR calibration was further validated by the
Mojonnier acid hydrolysis extraction method (Association of Analytical Communities; AOAC 922.06) performed by
Silliker, Inc. (Allentown, PA, USA).
The test formula for CMC addition to the kansui solution, using CMC type FR-A at 0.4% flour basis, reduced the oil
uptake by just under 12% compared with the control. The test formula using dry addition to the wheat flour, with CMC
type FR-B at 0.4% flour basis, resulted in just over 12% reduced oil uptake compared with the control. These data are
listed in Table 2 and represented graphically in Figure 6.
Table 2. Results of oil uptake and moisture analysis in Asian fried noodles
Control formula
Watera
(%)
33
Number of
Oil
Number samples per Average
trial
(%)
of trials
Oil
Standard
Deviation
3
3
19.34
0.46
Oil
Reduction
% Change in
Moisture
Oil
Standard
Moisture
Adsorption Average (%) Deviation
3.32
0.25
Test formula for CMC
addition to the kansui
solution
36
2
3
17.06
0.54
2.28
11.79
3.40
0.23
Test formula for CMC
addition to the wheat
flour
35
2
3
16.99
0.38
2.35
12.15
2.99
0.24
a
Flour basis
21
20
Percentage
19
18
17
16
15
14
Test formula for CMC
addition to the kansui
solution
Test formula for CMC
addition to the wheat
flour
Control formula
Figure 6. Average oil uptake of instant noodles
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Texture
Texture was evaluated by Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) using a Texture Technologies TA-XT2 texture analyzer. The
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method described by Hou was used. Values of hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, chewiness and
resilience were obtained by the TPA method.
No significant differences were observed for the six textural values between the control and test products.
Conclusions
Ashland CMC grades were found to reduce oil uptake for instant noodle manufacturers by about 12% at usage levels of
0.2 or 0.4% on a flour basis. Manufacturers who have the capability to add CMC to the kansui solutions, or prefer to do
so, will likely have the best results with CMC FR-A at levels of 0.4%. Manufacturers who prefer to incorporate CMC
through dry addition with the wheat flour, prior to the addition of kansui, will prefer using CMC FR-B, at levels around
0.2%. Each manufacturing process and each formulation will give slightly different results so it is recommended that
instant noodle manufacturers experiment with usage levels, starting with the use levels recommended here, to find the
optimal levels for their processes and formulations.
References
1
Pinthus, Eli J., Weinberg, Pnina, and Saguy, Israel Sam. “Criterion for Oil Uptake During Deep-fat Frying.” Journal of
Food Science. 58 (1993): 204–205, 222.
2
Hou, Gary G. Asian Noodles: Science, Technology, and Processing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.