Quality evaluation of cooked noodles produced from cassava starch and egg albumen powder

To enhance food security in Nigeria, the highest producer of cassava root, the use of cassava starch in noodle production was investigated, incorporating egg albumen powder (EAP) and water for structural and dough formation. The dough was extruded with a cold extruder and dried at 60-100 °C temperature. The quality of the cassava starch noodles (CSN) influenced by the composition (EAP, water) and processing condition (drying temperature [DT]) was evaluated using the Box–Behnken design. Parameters determined include drying time, optimal cooking time (OCT), water absorption capacity (WAC), cooking loss (CL), colour change (∆E), sensory properties, and microstructure. The drying time ranged from 120 to 210 minutes, the mean values of OCT, WAC, CL, and ∆E ranged from 16 to 19 minutes, 225% to 336%, 0.1% to 16.4% and 7.51 to 19.69 respectively, and their response surface showed that increased EAP resulted in increased OCT and WAC while CL reduced. Increased ∆E in samples with higher water inclusion was observed, and the noodles were slightly accepted (5.37–6.80). The microstructural analysis revealed that cooked CSN with EAP had less open pores and lower CL in comparison with cooked CSN without EAP, which had more open pores.