Development of Functional Noodles Using Plant-Based Ingredients

Abstract

The formulation and quality of noodles made with oat flour and pumpkin powder were investigated for the health benefits and functionality of the final product. Previous research has shown that the addition of pumpkin increases the content of ?-carotene and dietary fibre, thereby improving the nutritional value of the noodles. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) has been widely used to determine the optimal ingredient ratio while maintaining product quality. The final optimised formulation contained higher concentrations of all three ingredients, resulting in higher ?-carotene, ?-glucan, and total dietary fibre than those produced with pumpkin-based cereals. The inclusion of pumpkin and oat flours also affected the cooking quality parameters, including water absorption and cooking loss. Similar results were noted in types of noodles produced from various composite flour blends. The overall findings of the taste test indicated that the noodles were well received and had good acceptability up to medium levels of pumpkin when evaluated by consumer taste testers; the results of the microbiological analyses indicated that dried noodle samples remained safe for consumption after a 3-month storage period. It appears that the combination of pumpkin and oat flour can provide a healthier noodle option for the commercial production of those products.

Introduction

The study focuses on the development of functional noodles enriched with pumpkin flour and oat flour to improve nutritional quality and address health issues linked to poor diets and chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. Functional foods are highlighted as food products that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, especially through increased dietary fibre intake.

Pumpkin flour is rich in dietary fibre, β-carotene, vitamins, and minerals, while oat flour contains β-glucan, known for lowering cholesterol and regulating blood sugar. These ingredients are added to refined wheat flour (maida) at controlled levels (5–15%) to enhance nutrition without compromising product quality. However, excessive substitution can weaken gluten structure, affecting texture, firmness, and cooking stability.

The methodology involves preparing pumpkin flour through cleaning, blanching, drying, and milling, and using xanthan gum to improve dough stability, elasticity, and water retention. Noodles are produced using an extrusion process and evaluated using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and statistical analysis.

Results show that higher substitution increases cooking loss but improves nutritional value, while moderate levels (5–10%) provide the best balance between nutrition, texture, and sensory acceptability. Overall, the study concludes that pumpkin and oat flour can successfully be used to develop healthier functional noodles with acceptable quality characteristics.

Conclusion

The current study very successfully developed/optimised pumpkin/oat-enriched noodles using a Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to improve their health and functionality while ensuring they met adequate technological and sensory quality levels. The results showed the addition of 5% to 15% pumpkin powder and/or 5% to 15% of oat powder greatly increased nutritional content (increased ?-carotene, dietary fibre, resistant starch, and ?-glucan properties) in the noodle products, with oat powder adding ?-glucans; both additives providing some cardiovascular health benefits, while also improving the amount of provitamin A and the overall antioxidant properties of the noodles. The optimal RSM formulation created noodles with 15% oat powder and 5% pumpkin powder for the highest desirability value (0.884) to provide a balance of cooking performance and sensory acceptability. Although an increase in pumpkin powder improved nutritional value, inclusion levels above 10%–15% were found to cause small negative changes in smell and taste due to unique aromatic compounds in the pumpkin powder. The volume of water absorbed, cooking time required, swelling index, and total amount of product retained (cooking loss) were also affected by both powders. The addition of pumpkin and oat powders resulted in gluten dilution and modification of starch-protein interactions, affecting noodle hydration characteristics. Moderate incorporation of the two powders produced noodles with good structure and acceptable cooking behaviour. The texture values of the noodles decreased somewhat with the increased level of either powder. Overall, noodles produced with a high percentage of substitution of either powder are generally softer and may be consumed by a larger consumer group. The microscopic counts, in addition to the measured soluble solids (TSS), of the optimal RSM noodles were favourable and within acceptable limits.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Sinthiya R, Budriya Sulthana M, Karthikeyini S, Sreemathi T V. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.