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Instant noodles are a highly popular and widely consumed food in Indonesia, with an annual consumption of around 13 billion packets. However, most instant noodles are high in carbohydrates, fat, salt, and preservatives, and low in protein, contributing to the risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases. To tackle this challenge, this research project aims to fortify instant noodles with plant-based proteins, such as edamame, tempeh or even algae, to create a nutritious and convenient food product that can help improve the protein intake and overall health of Indonesians.
Preparing Alt-Protein Powder
Drying the Tempeh
Grinding
Sieving to the same particle size as all purpose flour
Production of Protein-Reinforced Noodles
Dry ingredients are combined (combining wheat flour, alt-protein flour and STPP)
Wet ingredients are combined (combining water, kansui and psyllium husk)
Psyllium husk is added to help the dough keep its moisture
Testing Parameters
Nutritional properties: protein content, lipid content, ash content, carbohydrate and moisture content
Cooking properties: breaking rate, cooking loss, water absorption, appearance, taste and smel
Result
The protein content from the resulted dried instant noodle was much higher compared to other commercially available noodles. Tempeh noodle which later called TemPro Noodle is having higher protein content than Indomie and commercial instant noodle that claimed has a high protein content. Other than that, TemPro noodle was incorporated with psyllium husk that not only improve the overall chewiness and texture but also contribute to other nutritious content which is fiber. Additionally, the waste water from the production of this noodle can be reused as a bioplastic. It becomes a thin film which can be used to pack the seasoning.
Conclusion
Through the results acquired, it’s safe to say that this product has a lot of potential. Not only is it affordable, but it is also much healthier nutritionally. Its applications range not only for reinforcing the diet of the protein deficient but could also be used for bodybuilding or similar activities which require elevated levels of protein intake. Overall, while the product has reached a satisfactory level, there are still improvements that can be made: - Environmentally sustainable packaging, for example is quite important in our day and age. One possibility for this could be from upcycling the slimy excess water generated from the psyllium husk and turning it into a film or plastic. - A better protein source or a mix of proteins could also still be discovered to fully optimize this products nutritional and economical value. - Additionally, the texture and overall similarity to typical noodles could be improved for a better overall sensory experience.
In this work, Joel determined to create a proteinous instant noodle.
Development of Protein-reinforced Instant Noodles to Address Nutritional Deficiencies
2022