Acceleration of ageing in rice stick noodle sheets using low temperature

The objectives of this research were to study the effects of temperature and time on ageing of rice stick noodle sheet retrogradation, and to estimate the effect of accelerated ageing on the eating qualities of the noodles. Hardness was used as a textural index due to a good correlation between instrumental and sensory evaluation. The hardness of aged sheets significantly increased as a function of time, except at 30 °C ageing. Examination of cut surfaces of fresh sheets revealed a network formation, but the cut surfaces became smoother with ageing. Room-temperature ageing produced a rougher surface than did 0 °C ageing. These results indicate that low-temperature ageing can accelerate retrogradation. Noodle sheets aged for 3 h at 0 °C produced optimal hardening; moreover, noodles from accelerated ageing had a textural quality similar to that of traditionally aged noodles. This research indicates that ageing at 0 °C allows the ageing period to be reduced from 12 to 3 h without a loss in noodle quality.