An SDS-FY Test to Evaluate Quality of Wheat for Oriental Noodles

An SDS-FY test, a modification of the Zeleny-FY test, was developed to determine the suitability of wheats for Oriental noodle making. Values derived from the SDS-FY diagrams were related to Mixograms of doughs and Instron parameters of cooked noodles for 12 wheat flours. The SDS-FY diagrams were unique for each wheat or flour in both shape and location on the x-y co-ordinates, and were highly correlated with Mixograph dough-mixing time and Instron noodle parameters. The optimum sample weight for differentiation among the SDS-FY diagram was 3 g for white flour (4·5 g for wheat meal) containing about 10% protein in the flour on a moisture-free basis. If the protein content is much above 10%, the SDS-FY test should be run on a sample size to give 0·3 g protein. A Japanese udon noodle flour showed a higher Mixograph absorption and mixing time than soft white winter (SWW) and club wheat flours. Among the wheats and flours tested, the SWW cultivar Stephens was similar in shape and location of the SDS-FY diagram and in the Instron parameters to a Japanese udon noodle flour. Similarly, in multivariate analysis of Instron parameters, no difference was found between cv. Stephens and the Japanese udon noodle flour. The results were used to develop a simplified SDS-FY diagram and confirmed on a set of 10 independent wheat flours. The results indicate that the SDS-FY test may be suitable for screening in plant breeding or estimation of potential textural properties of Oriental noodles as related to protein content and protein quality of a flour.