Effects of wheat flour with different farinograph and pasting characteristics on the surface tackiness of frozen cooked noodles

Background and Objectives The sticky surface of cooked noodles seriously reduces consumer acceptance. This study investigates the effects of 12 wheat flour samples with different farinograph and pasting characteristics on the texture, sensory properties, and surface tackiness of recooked frozen cooked noodles (FCNs). Findings The recooked FCNs made of flour sample 1# with long dough stability time (DST) and high farinograph quality number (FQN) had a low surface tackiness (411 g) and high evaluation score (87). Meanwhile, wheat flour (sample 12#) with high peak viscosity (PV) had a proper degree of starch gelatinization, which would bring a low surface tackiness to FCNs. FCNs (sample 1#) had a high water‐holding capacity (T21 = 0.14 ms) and low unbound water content (A23 = 1.38%), and they had a dense internal gluten network structure. Conclusions The dense structure formed by protein and starch contributed to reducing the surface tackiness of FCNs after recooking and storing. Noodles factories should choose wheat flour which has long DST, high FQN, and high PV as raw material when producing FCNs. Significance and Novelty This study provides important information on choosing wheat flours suitable for making FCNs of high quality.