Study on the quality characteristics of the mixture of okra slurry and wheat flour

Okra is not easy to store and is prone to spoilage. In this study, the fresh okra slurry was mixed with wheat flour to make noodles, and the effects of okra slurry on wheat flour blending system and noodle quality were investigated, providing theoretical basis for the application of okra in noodle products. The farinographic properties, pasting properties, moisture distribution, protein secondary structure, microstructure of wheat flour-okra slurry blend system, and the texture properties of okra noodles before and after cooking were measures to explore the effects of okra slurry on the mixed system and noodle quality. The results showed that the addition of 3% okra slurry could improve the quality of the dough, and increase the formation time and stability time. When the addition amount was 0 to 3%, there was a significant difference between the formation time (P<0.05). Pasting properties data indicated that the addition of okra slurry could also increase the peak viscosity and final viscosity of the mixed system. However, when the addition amount increased from 0 to 9%, there was no significant difference between the peak viscosity and the final viscosity (P>0.05). The moisture distribution of the dough showed that the addition of okra slurry could reduce the relaxation time of the dough, and the addition of 3% okra slurry could increase the proportion of strongly adsorbed water and reduce the proportion of free water. Meanwhile, the protein secondary structure data indicated that increasing the addition of okra slurry could increase β-Folding structure proportion significantly and reduce β-Corner ratio (P< 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy images, showed that the addition of 3% okra slurry could make the protein network structure more compact. By further addition of okra slurry, the network structure of the dough appeared a large number of holes and the loose combination. In addition, the addition of okra slurry affected the texture properties and quality of noodles significantly, leading to an increase in hardness and chewiness. Comprehensive analysis showed that the quality of the mixed system was the best when the addition of okra slurry was 3%.