Effects of gluten and moisture content on water mobility during the drying process for Chinese dried noodles

To investigate the water mobility during a drying process, noodles were prepared with different gluten contents (10.0%, 12.5%, 15.0%, 17.5%, 20.0%, 22.5%, or 25.0%) and moisture contents (30%, 32%, or 34%), and dried on a food moisture analysis technology platform. Three types of water were deduced from relaxation signals measured by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) spectroscopy. Peak time <i>T</i>₂₂ increased with gluten and moisture content but decreased with drying time from 4–6 to 1.0–1.7 ms after 1.5 h. Gluten content mainly affected the drying rate (DR) in the middle drying period, whereas initial moisture content had an influence in the middle drying period and final drying period.