Journal of Cereal Science最新文献

{"title":"Matrix-driven modulation of starch structure, digestibility, and glycemic response by brewer's spent grain in bread, cookies, and pasta","authors":"Mauricio Lanzagorta-García ,&nbsp;Erick Heredia-Olea ,&nbsp;Carolina E. Chávez-Murillo ,&nbsp;Julián de la Rosa-Millán","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104402","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104402","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Brewer's spent grain (BSG) is a major by-product of the brewing industry and represents a sustainable source of dietary fiber, protein, and bioactive compounds. This study evaluated the impact of incorporating BSG, with and without hop residues, at 5, 15, and 25% substitution levels on starch structure, in vitro digestibility, and predicted glycemic index (pGI) in bread, cookies, and pasta. BSG enrichment increased protein content by up to ∼27% and total dietary fiber up to ∼15%, while reducing available starch by approximately 20-30% compared with control formulations. These compositional changes induced structural reorganization of starch, reflected by increases in gelatinization peak temperature (from ∼60 to 61 °C in controls to ∼64-66 °C at 25% BSG), gelatinization enthalpy (ΔH increased from ∼5.3 to ∼7.8 J g⁻¹ in bread), and crystallinity (from ∼23% in control bread to ∼32% at 25% BSG). As a result, starch digestibility shifted markedly from rapidly digestible starch (RDS) toward slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS). RDS decreased by up to ∼20 percentage points, while RS increased from ∼4% to ∼9% in bread and from ∼2% to ∼14% in pasta at the highest substitution level. These changes translated into a significant reduction in pGI, particularly in cookies and pasta, where values decreased from ∼104 to ∼61 and from ∼84 to ∼73, respectively. The presence of hop residues further reduced starch hydrolysis, likely due to synergistic effects of organic acids and polyphenols on digestive enzyme activity. Multivariate analyses confirmed strong associations between starch crystallinity, thermal stability, and digestion kinetics. Overall, these findings demonstrate that BSG fortification modulates starch digestibility primarily through matrix-driven structural mechanisms, with hop-derived compounds providing an additional inhibitory effect, supporting BSG as a functional and sustainable ingredient for cereal-based foods with improved glycemic response.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104402"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of steam explosion and particle size reduction of wheat bran on quality characteristics of whole wheat dough and cookies","authors":"Feng Kong,&nbsp;Yue Li,&nbsp;Hongrun Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wheat bran possesses beneficial health attributes and offers potential to lower the starch content in baked products. This research examined how steam explosion (SE) treatment and particle size reduction influence both the physicochemical characteristics of resulting wheat bran powder and subsequently, the quality of dough prepared from reconstituted whole wheat flour and cookies made therefrom. Results demonstrated that SE treatment significantly enhanced the contents of total phenolic compounds (up to 28.48 mg/g), total flavonoids (up to 6.48 mg/g), and water-extractable arabinoxylans (up to 22.17%) in the bran powder. Dough formulated with SE-treated bran (SWB) exhibited increased water absorption and solvent retention capacity but lower stability, indicating a modified gluten network. Textural analysis revealed that fine SWB particles (&lt;150 mesh) transformed the dough into a cohesive composite gel with superior springiness and adhesiveness. Corresponding cookies fortified with fine SWB possessed a denser structure, greater hardness, and a substantially lower <em>in vitro</em> starch digestibility. Principal component analysis identified SWB-150 as the optimal formulation, which exhibited a higher relative crystallinity and a protein secondary structure dominated by β-sheets (61.52%). These findings establish a theoretical foundation for developing high-fiber, nutritionally enriched bakery items using modified wheat bran.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104407"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extraction and valorization of arabinoxylans from cereal processing By-Products: Current methods, challenges, and future perspectives","authors":"Konstantina Karakoula ,&nbsp;Patroklos Vareltzis ,&nbsp;Konstantinos G. Kalogiannis","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104381","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104381","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Arabinoxylans (AXs), non-starch polysaccharides abundant in cereal bran, hold significant potential as functional ingredients due to their techno-functional and health-promoting properties. In contrast to other polysaccharides abundant in plants and cereals, such as inulin or β-glucans, which have been studied thoroughly and whose extraction from cereal brans is well documented and efficient, arabinoxylans have not been studied to the same extent. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the occurrence of AXs in cereals, its molecular structure, health-related effects, and extraction strategies from agro-industrial by-products. Special emphasis is placed on water-extractable (WEAX) and water-unextractable (WUAX) fractions, whose physicochemical characteristics are influenced by cereal type, grain fraction, and recovery method. Conventional (water, acid, alkaline) and advanced (enzymatic, ultrasound, microwave, steam explosion, subcritical water, and DES/NADES) extraction techniques were critically assessed for their efficiency, sustainability, and scalability. Furthermore, hybrid approaches, such as microwave-enzymatic or ultrasound-subcritical water extraction, have been explored as promising tools to enhance yield and structural integrity. Despite significant advances, knowledge gaps persist regarding standardized protocols, comparative method assessments, and the scalability of eco-friendly technologies for AXs recovery. Future research should focus on optimizing extraction conditions and structure–function relationships to enable the industrial valorization of AXs within circular bioeconomy frameworks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104381"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147398188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A molecular understanding of the potent health of wholemeal sourdough bread derived from different lactic acid bacterial fermentation","authors":"Cheng Chen ,&nbsp;Anqi Wang ,&nbsp;Haotian Wu ,&nbsp;Ming Ning ,&nbsp;Peng Yu ,&nbsp;Ning Li ,&nbsp;Chris Blanchard ,&nbsp;Zhongkai Zhou ,&nbsp;Weining Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104364","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104364","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the property of various lactic acid bacterial (LAB) fermented wholemeal sourdough bread (WSB) for revealing their corresponding molecular mechanisms. Compared to normal wholemeal bread (NWB), all four WSBs exhibited significantly higher total phenolic content (up to 46.63 % increase) and antioxidant capacity (up to 36.52 % increase), attributed to the release of bound phenolic compounds during LAB-yeast co-fermentation. Metabolomics analysis revealed extensive upregulation of metabolites in WSBs, with differential enrichment in key pathways such as purine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine metabolism, associated with flavor development and bioactive compound synthesis. Notably, <em>Lactobacillus crustorum</em> LMG (homofermentative LAB) and <em>Weissella cibaria</em> T5 (heterofermentative LAB) fermentation induced the most pronounced metabolic shifts. While starch digestion rates varied among WSBs, <em>in vitro</em> fecal fermentation of all post-digestion residues of WSBs reduced pathogenic bacteria and enriched short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria. Specifically, <em>Lactobacillus crustorum</em> LMG-fermented WSB demonstrated sustained SCFA production, highlighting its potential to modulate gut microbiota and support intestinal health. These findings highlighted the role of LAB-driven fermentation in enhancing the nutritional and functional properties of wholemeal sourdough bread, providing insights for developing more healthy sourdough-based products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104364"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of pregelatinized corn starch and pregelatinized rice starch on moisture and retrogradation of rice cakes during storage","authors":"Jiahao Chen ,&nbsp;Jiali Xing ,&nbsp;Yiting Chai ,&nbsp;Ying Wan ,&nbsp;Guanghui Fang ,&nbsp;Ting Liu ,&nbsp;Qiaoling Zhao ,&nbsp;Dan Ouyang ,&nbsp;Xiaohu Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104385","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104385","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a traditional rice product, rice cakes are favored for their unique taste of softness and elasticity. However, the hardness increasing and taste deterioration from starch retrogradation during storage directly affects the shelf life, which severely restricts the industry development. The influence of pregelatinized rice starch (PRS) and pregelatinized corn starch (PCS) on the storage quality of rice cakes was examined over 28 days under refrigeration (4 °C) and ambient (25 °C) conditions. The textural results demonstrated that the rice cakes added with PRS and PCS exhibited lower hardness after storage than the ones without pregelatinized starch, with the lowest hardness observed at 15% addition for both. Additionally, PRS and PCS reduced the absorption of water by rice cakes during gelatinization. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance analysis confirmed that PRS/PCS enhanced the binding of strongly bound water and starch as well as reduced the content of weakly bound water. X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the incorporation of PRS or PCS inhibited the retrogradation of starch. Moreover, the scanning electron microscope analysis further revealed changes in starch granule structure upon PRS/PCS addition. In conclusion, PRS and PCS can effectively delay the aging process of starch during the storage of rice cakes, reduce their hardness and chewiness, providing a new approach for enhancing rice cake shelf-life.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104385"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147381859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of fermentation with different coarse cereals on antioxidant capacity, flavor profiles and sensory characteristics of Huangjiu","authors":"Baoqing Bai ,&nbsp;Shijie Niu ,&nbsp;Junnan Li ,&nbsp;Bin Feng ,&nbsp;Tao Bo ,&nbsp;Jinhua Zhang ,&nbsp;Ying Zhang ,&nbsp;Yukun Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104389","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104389","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Huangjiu, an ancient Chinese alcoholic beverage, is primarily brewed through the fermentation of steamed grains using <em>Jiuqu</em> as starter. This study systematically investigated the effects of five nutritionally rich coarse cereals (oats, quinoa, sorghum, buckwheat and black rice) on the physicochemical, antioxidant and flavor profiles of Huangjiu (CCHJ: MQHM, MQLM, MQYM, MQGL, and MQKQ) fermented with <em>Maiqu</em>. The results demonstrated that five types of CCHJ samples exhibited strong antioxidant capacity, with MQLM and MQHM showing particularly high α-glucosidase inhibition rates, exceeding 95%. Functional component analysis revealed that MQHM contained the highest levels of amino acids, total flavonoids and polyphenols, while MQKQ exhibited the highest organic acid content. A total of 203 volatile flavor compounds (VFCs) were identified, with MQGL having the highest concentration, followed by MQHM. Furthermore, 12 common compounds, including ethanol, isopropanol, acetoin, 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, ethyl palmitate, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, (S)-2-heptanol, phenethyl alcohol, 3,4-dimethylbenzaldehyde, methanol, and octanoic acid, were identified as key aroma compounds in CCHJ samples based on their odor activity value (OAV). The distinctive sweet profile of MQHM was strongly correlated with these compounds. These findings provide valuable insights into how to optimize the use of traditional coarse cereals and advancing the development of novel functional Huangjiu products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104389"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of boiling time on noodle surface tackiness: Roles of gluten network and broth components in steamed-then-boiled noodles","authors":"Yijun Fan ,&nbsp;Mingyi Shen ,&nbsp;Ruifang Wang ,&nbsp;Zhengbiao Gu ,&nbsp;Yan Hong ,&nbsp;Zhaofeng Li ,&nbsp;Caiming Li ,&nbsp;Xiaofeng Ban ,&nbsp;Li Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104386","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104386","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to investigate the effect of boiling time on the surface tackiness of room-temperature (RT) cooked noodles and elucidated the underlying mechanisms linking it to gluten network structure and noodle broth components. The results demonstrated that the steamed-then-boiled process effectively reduced the surface tackiness of RT cooked noodles. However, prolonged cooking led to a gradual increase in surface tackiness. Compared to the conventional boiling process, the noodles boiled for 2 min exhibited a 40.2% reduction in surface tackiness. Their β-sheet content increased from 33.4% to 43.5%, protein area expanded by 25.7%, and disulfide bond content rose from 1.65 μmol/g to 2.49 μmol/g. Notably, at this cooking time, starch content in the broth solids reached its lowest level at 46.1% (w/w). These phenomena can be attributed to the short-term steamed-then-boiled process, which promotes protein structural ordering. This forms a denser, more continuous, and highly cross-linked gluten network, thereby inhibiting the leaching of soluble substances like starch during cooking and reducing surface tackiness. Conversely, extended boiling time disrupts the gluten network structure, leading to a gradual increase in surface tackiness. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical reference for RT noodles with low surface tackiness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104386"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intense pulsed light treatment for enhancing the storage stability of sorghum flour: lipase inactivation kinetics, fatty acid changes, and shelf-life prediction","authors":"N.U. Sruthi ,&nbsp;P Srinivasa Rao ,&nbsp;Sarita Jane Bennett ,&nbsp;Rewati Raman Bhattarai","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104398","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104398","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to investigate the impact of intense pulsed light (PL) treatment as a novel post-harvest intervention to enhance the shelf-life stability of sorghum flour. The lipase inactivation kinetics was studied over a varying range of pulse fluence (5-30 J/cm²), and kinetic modelling was performed. During storage period of 120 days, moisture content, water activity, pH, colour parameters, lipase activity (LA), and free fatty acids (FFAs) were analysed for flour samples from whole and polished grains (treated and untreated) stored at both ambient (27 ± 1 °C, 65% RH) and accelerated (40 ± 1 °C, 90% RH) conditions. A comprehensive fatty acid profiling was done, followed by shelf-life prediction using zero-order kinetics. Results indicated a significant reduction in LA following PL treatment, with an IC50 fluence of 25.31 J/cm², representing the fluence required to inhibit LA by 50%. The fractional conversion model best fitted the lipase inactivation kinetics with an R² of 0.998. After 120 days of ambient storage, the flour from polished and PL-treated grains exhibited superior shelf-life properties, showing 35% lower FFA content and 53% lower LA compared to flour from whole-untreated grains. Additionally, this flour exhibited the lowest zero-order reaction rate constants for both FFA and LA under ambient and accelerated storage conditions. Fatty acid profiling showed positive changes in saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, with less significant changes in polyunsaturated fatty acids in this sample. These findings suggest that intense PL can be an effective, non-thermal post-harvest intervention to extend the shelf-life of sorghum flour.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104398"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147398358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structural, functional, and antioxidant attributes of arabinoxylan from pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.)) varieties isolated by water and alkali-aided based enzymatic extraction techniques","authors":"Jaymina Murdamootoo,&nbsp;Priyanga Govindarasu,&nbsp;J.N. Sowbarnigha,&nbsp;Arthi Vijayakumar,&nbsp;Poulamee Ghosh,&nbsp;Rinsomi Chiphang,&nbsp;Narayanasamy Sangeetha","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2026.104405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Arabinoxylans (Ax) from pearl millet have been less extensively characterized with respect to extraction-dependent variations in functional and structural attributes. In this study, Ax were isolated from different pearl millet (<em>Pennisetum glaucum</em> (<em>L</em>.)) varieties using alkali-aided enzymatic extraction (AEAx) and water extraction (WEAx), and were evaluated for their functional, antioxidant, and structural characteristics. WEAx yielded a higher extraction recovery (19.45–24.64%) compared with AEAx (13.78–18.35%). In cotrast, AEAx samples exhibited higher water absorption capacity (36.2–47.7 g/g) than WEAx (24.3–31.2 g/g), with corresponding swelling capacities of 7.52–9.38 g/g and 2.79–3.70 g/g, respectively. Solubility and paste clarity were greater in AEAx (29.6–33.6% and 5.27–7.54%) relative to WEAx (10.41–17.15% and 2.21–5.82%). Gel consistency was also higher for AEAx (10.2–18.5 mm) compared with WEAx (7.2–12.2 mm). Antioxidant activity was higher in AEAx (93.8–94.2%) than in WEAx (85.6–93.5%), corresponding with greater ferulic acid content (9.25–17.54 mg/100 g) compared with WEAx. Structural analyses indicated predominantly amorphous and porous AX morphology, supported by FTIR and X-ray diffraction patterns. Zeta potential values (−22.2 to −32.7 mV) confirmed stable anionic dispersions. These results provide comparative insight into extraction-dependent differences in pearl millet Ax and support the selection of extraction strategy for targeted functional applications in food and nutraceutical systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104405"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147398365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of three freezing treatments on the quality of frozen chow mein noodles","authors":"Pengyuan Tian ,&nbsp;Ping Jiang ,&nbsp;Ming Liu ,&nbsp;Naijuan Wang ,&nbsp;Lijuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Sijia Xu ,&nbsp;Peng Yin ,&nbsp;Weiqing Zhang ,&nbsp;Mingfu Yu ,&nbsp;Dan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104353","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104353","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ice crystal formation during freezing can adversely affect the quality of frozen noodle products. This study examines the effects of freezer freezing, cryogenic rapid microfreezing, and liquid nitrogen freezing conditions on the quality of frozen chow mein. The textural properties of wheat chow mein and buckwheat chow mein exhibit distinct variations under the influence of the three freezing methods. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) results indicate that the faster freezing rate increases the strongly bound water content in noodles while decreasing the weakly bound and free water content. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) data indicate that the freezing method influences the extent of internal rearrangement of starch molecules in noodles. Both relative crystallinity and the R_1047/1022 ratio decreased with increasing freezing rate. The proportion of α-helical and β-sheet structures in protein secondary structure is significantly affected by the freezing rate. With increasing freezing rates, the α-helical content rises, whereas the β-sheet content declines. The quality of frozen chow mein in the liquid nitrogen freezing group was superior to that in the freezer freezing and low-temperature rapid microfrying groups. The experimental data demonstrated the effect of freezing method on the quality of frozen chow mein, which may hold significant economic implications for the frozen noodle industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15285,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cereal Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104353"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145980595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}