Effects of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and temperature of dough water on the rice noodle quality

Rice noodle is one of the most popular foods consumed in Asia. However, rice flour lacks gluten that forms a cohesive dough structure in wheat-based noodles and for gluten-free, rice-based noodle formulations an alternative to gluten is needed. Therefore, the effects of the addition of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) as a replacement for gluten and the temperature of the water used for rice noodle preparation were investigated. Rice noodle contained high-viscosity HPMC (6%) had the smallest breakdown and the largest setback viscosity, also had better texture and sensory properties. The use of dough water at 80 °C was effective on reducing the cooking loss and improving the textural properties. The overall acceptability score was higher compared to that of the control. The results showed that using high-viscosity HPMC (6%) to replace gluten and kneading with water at 80 °C was the most effective protocol for improving the quality of gluten-free rice noodles.