Quality, Nutritional, and Sensory Evaluation of Noodles Enriched with Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus sajor-caju)

Abstract

Noodles are considered one of the staple foods, especially in Asian countries. Traditional noodles are typically made from wheat flour; however, their nutritional value is relatively low. Previous studies have also explored this topic with an emphasis on improving the nutritional quality of noodles, but the sensory quality was often poorly rated. Therefore, this study focuses on enhancing the nutritional and sensory qualities of noodles, thereby contributing to product diversification through the use of abundant local commodities in line with sustainable development goals. This investigation examined the optimal level of oyster mushroom flour incorporated into noodle formulations at 40, 50, 60, and 70 g, along with a control sample without mushroom flour. The formulation containing 60 g of oyster mushroom flour showed the most favorable nutritional, physical, and sensory characteristics. The selected sample received the highest scores for all sensory attributes. Noodles’ elasticity and cooking quality also performed well, with 59.28 g-force, high water absorption, and volume expansion (276.53% and 273.61%), and low cooking loss (2.90%). At the same time, this sample also contained higher levels of nutritional components and bioactive compounds, with 6.07 g protein, 1.94 g cellulose, 0.20 g β-glucan, 0.0051 g QE/100 g flavonoid, and 0.37 g TAE/100 g phenolic. These findings suggest that oyster mushroom flour can be used as a functional ingredient to improve the nutritional and sensory quality of noodles and may support the development of value-added mushroom-based food products.