The impact of protein cross-linking induced by alkali on the quality of buckwheat noodles.

The impact of alkali addition on the dough rheological properties and quality of buckwheat noodles was investigated. Farinograph measurements showed that the addition of alkali increased the water absorption and development time of the dough. Dynamic rheological properties analysis showed that alkali addition enhanced G' and G″ of dough. In addition, the texture properties of buckwheat noodles improved by the increase of the hardness and tensile force. Furthermore, an obvious decrease in the intensity of the protein bands with lower molecular weights was observed in SDS-PAGE patterns and the extractability of protein in sodium dodecyl sulfate containing medium (SDSEP) decreased, which demonstrated that alkali addition promoted the degree of protein polymerization in the buckwheat noodles. CLSM analysis showed alkali addition produced a tight and continuous protein network in buckwheat noodles. The protein cross-linking induced by alkali improved rheological properties of dough and texture properties of buckwheat noodles.