3.2. Moisture, aw, and color analys

3.2. Moisture, aw, and color analysis
Slight, but significant differences (P < 0.05) were found in the
moisture content for conventional and vacuum mixed noodles,
with no regularity was detected as the increase of vacuum degrees
(Table 2). However, no significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed
in aw of the noodle samples. These changes in moisture content
may be due to the noodle-making process itself, during which
some water was lost through evaporation, and should not be solely
considered as influenced by vacuum mixing.
Color is considered as a major determinant of noodle marketability
(Asenstorfer et al., 2010). For white salt noodles, a clean
and bright appearance is desirable, whereas dark or gray colors
are negative attributes (Fu, 2008). Effect of different vacuum mixing
degrees on the color of fresh noodle sheets was shown in Table
2. Firstly, as can be seen, the L⁄ value of noodle sheets made from
LP flour was obviously higher than that of HP flour noodles. That
was mainly due to the fact that protein content of wheat flour is