Abstract: This study was conducted to analyze the moisture characteristics, microstructure and macroscopic quality of fresh wheat noodles processed at three sheeting gaps: 0.9, 1.5 and 2.2 mm. The results showed that water affected the macroscopic quality of fresh noodles mainly through two ways: directly and indirectly. In the direct way, as the sheeting gap decreased from 2.2 to 0.9 mm, the activity, freezability and freedom of water molecules within noodles reduced, limiting microbial utilization of nutrients and inhibiting microbial growth. In the indirect way, as the sheeting gap decreased, the binding strength between water molecules and flour components was enhanced. When the sheeting gap was 1.5 mm, the water molecules in a stronger bonding state prompted the formation of more stable and orderly β-sheets and α-helices in noodles through hydrogen bonding, solidifying the secondary structure and disulfide bonds of gluten and consequently resulting in the formation of a uniform and coherent gluten network manifested by a higher branching rate and a lower end-point rate, ultimately leading to a lower cooking loss rate.

Key words: water hydrogen protons; fresh wheat noodles; sheeting gaps; microstructure; noodle quality