Development of acceptable high‐quality noodles using nonglutinous rice cultivar Akitakomachi flours

Background and objectives To elucidate the effects of four different particle sizes of flour from the nonglutinous rice cultivar Akitakomachi on noodle quality and the factors that affect the production of acceptable high‐quality noodles. Findings The damaged starch content was lowest in the flour with a particle size range of 53–212 μm, and the water absorption rate increased as the flour particle size ranges decreased. By textural and sensory analyses, noodles made from flour with a particle size range of 53–212 μm showed high breaking strength, cohesiveness, smoothness, gelatinization degree, and acid solubility and low adhesiveness. The expansion rate of noodle strands after cooking, especially noodle width and thickness, was fairly high, and the solubility of proteins and sugars was low in strands made with 0.5% grain vinegar compared to those made without grain vinegar. The total and surface SH group contents in different protein fractions were not different between noodles produced with and without grain vinegar. Conclusions Acceptable high‐quality noodles were produced using flour with a particle size range of 53–212 μm and 0.5% grain vinegar. The high‐order structural changes in the rice protein molecules by grain vinegar treatment significantly contributed to noodle quality, particularly their satisfactory firm texture. Significance and novelty The use of flour with a particle size range of 53–212 μm and the addition of grain vinegar were important factors for the production of high‐quality noodles with flour from the nonglutinous rice cultivar Akitakomachi. These results provide useful information for rice flour noodle industries.