Effects of Hericium erinaceus powder incorporation on gluten interactions, water-state distribution, starch digestibility and quality characteristics of wheat noodles.

Abstract

Hericium erinaceus powder (HE powder) was incorporated into wheat noodles to clarify its effects on gluten interactions, water distribution, quality, antioxidant activity, and starch digestibility. Disulfide bonds, non-covalent interactions, secondary structure, LF-NMR, SEM, cooking properties, texture, sensory quality, radical scavenging capacity, and in vitro digestibility were analyzed to connect structural changes with product responses. At 6% incorporation, disulfide bond content reached 1.84 μmol/g, the ionic interaction indicator and β-sheet proportion were highest, and SDS-PAGE showed no marked accumulation of high-molecular-weight protein aggregates. At 8% and 10%, disulfide bond content decreased to 1.55 and 1.25 μmol/g, respectively, accompanied by weaker hydrophobic interactions, weaker hydrogen bonding, and looser cross sections. LF-NMR indicated redistribution of water states in dried and cooked noodles. The 6% group showed the highest springiness, whereas high incorporation reduced matrix continuity and cooking stability. Overall acceptability decreased from 7.53 in the control to 4.53 at 10% incorporation. DPPH scavenging was highest at 6%, exceeding the control by 29.1%, and ABTS scavenging was highest at 8%, exceeding the control by 130.2%. Low to moderate incorporation increased rapidly digestible starch, whereas high incorporation increased resistant starch. HE powder therefore produced tradeoffs among texture retention, antioxidant enhancement, and starch digestion modulation at different incorporation levels.