Optimizing wheat gluten levels to improve textural integrity and sensory appeal in pigeon pea enriched noodles
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Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 13(5): 224-236
Abstract
Noodles made exclusively from pigeon pea flour often display undesirable textural characteristics, such as brittleness, poor
mouthfeel and a lack of the chewiness typically associated with traditional wheat-based noodles. These shortcomings can
significantly impact consumer acceptability and overall eating quality. Incorporating vital wheat gluten, a protein known for its
viscoelastic properties, offers a promising strategy to improve the structural integrity, elasticity and sensory appeal of pigeon
pea-based noodle formulations. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of varying levels of vital wheat gluten (VWG) on
the textural and sensory qualities of pigeon pea-based noodles (PPBN). Two optimized experimental samples PPBN 718 and
PPBN 193 designed to meet adult dietary protein and mineral requirements were prepared with three concentrations of VWG
(2%, 4% and 6%). Texture Profile Analysis (TPA), Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA), Consumer Preference Analysis
(n=75) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were conducted to assess product quality. Results indicated that formulation
B193 consistently outperformed formulation A718 across all quality parameters, exhibiting significantly higher hardness,
elasticity and overall consumer acceptability (P <0.05). Notably, PPBN193-2 achieved the highest overall acceptability score
(7.41±0.59). In contrast, formulation PPBN 718-3 showed diminished performance. PCA results revealed that color was a
dominant driver of sensory variation, while aroma, taste and mouthfeel clustered together, suggesting a potential trade-off
between visual appeal and other sensory attributes. The superior performance of PPBN193-2 was attributed to the synergistic
interaction between its unique flour composition including orange-fleshed sweet potato flour and VWG, which together,
formed a more cohesive protein-starch matrix. These findings suggest that incorporating VWG at an optimal concentration
of 4% can significantly enhance the textural integrity and sensory quality of legume-based noodles, particularly when used in
well-optimized formulations like PPBN 193. This research supports the development of nutritionally enriched and consumer
acceptable legume-based noodle products for broader market adoption.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Pigeon-Pea Based Noodles, Vital Wheat Gluten, Structural-Integrity, Sensory-Quality, Consumer Acceptability
Citation
DOI: 10.11648/j.jfns.20251305.11