Quality improvement of frozen cooked noodles by protein addition.

This study investigated the impact of protein enrichment on the physicochemical, cooking, textural, and color properties of frozen cooked noodles (FCN) stored for 0-3 weeks at -18 °C. Incorporating casein, egg white protein, and soy protein into the noodles significantly increased moisture content, with casein-enriched noodles showing the highest initial moisture levels. The addition of proteins also led to increased ash content, indicating improved nutritional quality. Protein enrichment resulted in reduced cooking loss and enhanced water retention during cooking and frozen storage. Casein-enriched noodles exhibited the highest water absorption capacity and the most substantial enhancement in textural properties, maintaining cohesiveness, gumminess, and elasticity better than egg white protein and soy protein during storage. The results indicated that egg white protein promotes intermolecular interactions, leading to enhanced color stability over time. These findings suggest that enriching with the protein could be a viable approach to elevate the overall quality of FCN.

Underutilised palm stearin as hard stock for deep-frying medium and its performance for oil uptake in instant noodles.

BACKGROUND: As a by-product of the palm oil industry, palm stearin is often overlooked despite having several beneficial properties, such as excellent stability, which is critically essential to meet the demand of the global food trend in producing safer processed food. Specifically, deep frying of food is often associated with the production of toxic compounds that could potentially migrate into the food system when oils are degraded under continuous heating. The incorporation of palm stearin is regarded as a cost-effective and efficient method to modify the fatty acid composition of oils, enhance the frying qualities and lower the degradation rate. RESULTS: This study blended 5% and 10% palm stearin into palm oil to investigate the deep-frying performance and impact on food quality. Increasing the palm stearin content improved the frying oil's oxidative and hydrolytic stability, evidenced by reduction of total polar material, free fatty acid and total oxidation value. Addition of palm stearin increased the slip melting point which improved the oil's oxidative stability but no significant increase in oil content of instant noodles was observed. Scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy showed the formation of larger pores in the noodle structure that facilitated oil retention. CONCLUSION: Blending palm stearin into frying oil enhanced the frying stability and minimally affected the oil uptake in instant noodles. This article presents the viability of blending palm stearin into frying oils to develop longer-lasting frying oils. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Antibacterial Mechanism of Rhamnolipids against Bacillus cereus and Its Application in Fresh Wet Noodles.

Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) is a common foodborne pathogen causing food poisoning incidents. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity and underlying mechanism of rhamnolipids (RLs) against B. cereus. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of RLs for B. cereus were determined to be 16.0 mg/L and 32.0 mg/L, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscope images, as well as data of membrane potential, relative electric conductivity, and leakage of intracellular components revealed that RLs disrupted the integrity of the cell membrane. Furthermore, the reactive oxygen species content, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity indicated that RLs activated the oxidative stress response of B. cereus in response to RLs. Fresh wet noodles (FWN) were used as a food model, and RLs showed a significant killing effect on B. cereus with a sustained inhibitory effect at the concentrations ranging from 128.0 to 1024.0 mg/kg. Additionally, RLs promoted the conversion of free water to bound water in FWN, which improved the storage of FWN and made the taste more resilient and chewy. These results suggest that RLs could be a potential alternative to antimicrobial agents and preservatives for applications in food processing.

Ultrasound-Assisted Fermentation to Remove Cadmium from Rice and Its Application.

Rice, which is a major part of the daily diet, is becoming more and more contaminated by cadmium (Cd). This study combined low-intensity ultrasonic waves with the Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation method and optimized this technique by a single-factor and response surface experiment, aiming to solve the practical problems that the current Cd removal methods for rice cannot address, due to the fact that they require a long time (nearly 24 h), which prevents meeting the rice production demands. The described technique required a short time (10 h), and the highest Cd removal reached 67.05 ± 1.38%. Further analysis revealed that the maximum adsorption capacity of Lactobacillus plantarum for Cd increased by nearly 75%, and the equilibrium adsorption capacity increased by almost 30% after the ultrasonic intervention. Additionally, a sensory evaluation and other experiments proved that the properties of the rice noodles prepared from Cd-reduced rice obtained by ultrasound-assisted fermentation were comparable to those of traditional rice noodles, indicating that this method can be used in actual rice production.

Characterization of sonicated gluten protein and subsequent rheological properties of model dough and noodles.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the thermo-mechanical and rheological properties of a wheat gluten-sonicated model dough and noodles, as well as the effects of ultrasonic frequency (20, 28, 40, 68 and 80 kHz) on the functional properties and structural features of gluten. RESULTS: Water absorption, stability and developmental time, and viscoelastic behavior of gluten-sonicated model dough were all found to be improved. Water absorption, tensile resistance and stretching distance of noodles increased markedly, whereas cooking loss decreased. Ultrasonication at different frequencies also significantly affected gluten structure, including its surface hydrophobicity, micro-network structure, and secondary and tertiary structures. These alterations then caused changes in its functional characteristics. Compared to untreated gluten, sonicated gluten exhibited significantly increased oil and water capacities (8.75-15.26% and 100.65-127.71% higher than the untreated gluten, respectively), foaming and emulsifying properties, and increased solubility (63.46-98.83% higher than control). In addition, these findings indicated that 40 kHz was the likely resonance frequency of the cavitation bubble in the gluten solution. However, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis electropherograms revealed that such treatments did not affect the molecular weight of gluten, which was also consistent with its unchanged disulfide bond content. CONCLUSION: The present study clarified the impact of frequency on the properties of gluten and model dough. The best frequency for modification of gluten was 40 kHz. Collectively, these findings suggest that ultrasonic technology has the potential for use in modifying wheat gluten and commercial noodle processing. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Dephytinized flaxseed flours by phytase enzyme and fermentation: functional ingredients to enhance the nutritional quality of noodles.

BACKGROUND: Phytic acid is an antinutritional compound that reduces the bioavailability of minerals and proteins. Flaxseed is a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants. In this study, flaxseed flour was dephytinized by phytase enzyme and fermentation. Untreated and dephytinized flaxseed flours were used in noodle production at 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% levels to improve nutritional quality. RESULTS: The addition of flaxseed flours did not show an adverse effect on the cooking loss values of noodles (4.22-4.85%). Firmness values of noodles containing 10% flaxseed flour were close to the control (0% flaxseed flour). The ash, protein and fat levels of noodles were enhanced with the addition of flaxseed flours. The use of 30% phytase-treated flaxseed flour in noodles elicited lower phytic acid concentration (1.35 g kg-1 ) than the control (1.52 g kg-1 ). The greatest total phenolic contents in noodles were obtained with the inclusion of fermented flour. Besides that, noodles made from flaxseed flours exhibited stronger antioxidant activity than the control. The overall acceptability scores of noodles containing 10% and 20% dephytinized flours were close to the control. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrated that the inclusion of dephytinized flaxseed flours up to 20% can allow the production of functional noodles with acceptable quality. Moreover, phytase enzyme treatment method revealed lower phytic acid content than fermentation method in noodles and better antioxidant properties than untreated noodles. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of Incorporated Emulsifiers Into Noodles on V-amylose Formation, Digestibility, and Structural Characteristics.

There is growing interest in developing low glycemic alternatives to starchy foods. In this study, two emulsifiers, namely sodium stearoyl lactylate and egg yolk, were incorporated into the formulation of noodles (EYN and SSLN), and their effects on V-amylose formation, digestibility and structural characteristics of the noodles were investigated. The emulsifiers facilitated V-amylose formation in the noodles, indicated by the complexing indices. The EYN and SSLN exhibited markedly high resistant starch contents compared to the control noodle. The logarithm of slope plot analysis showed that the EYN and SSLN had low first-phase rate constants compared to the control noodles, suggesting a barrier effect to digestive enzymes exerted by V-amylose. The SSLN and EYN displayed a mixture of B- and V-type patterns with higher crystallinities and two distinct spectral features of the bands at 2854 cm- 1 and 1746 cm- 1 compared to the control noodles. Polarized light micrographs of the SSLN and EYN exhibited vague contours of numerous irregularly shaped starch fragments with strong birefringence. These results suggest that forming V-amylose crystals in the SSLN and EYN was responsible for their increased resistance to digestion through reformulating emulsifiers in modifying their nutritional functionalities.

Evaluation of cooking characteristics, textural, structural and bioactive properties of button mushroom and chickpea starch enriched noodles.

The present study was conducted out to develop nutritionally enriched noodles by supplementing wheat flour with mushroom and chickpea starch at different concentrations and its effect on physico-chemical, bioactive, cooking, microbial and sensory properties, morphological and textural properties has been investigated. The prepared noodles contained high levels of protein, and low levels of carbohydrate, energy with the incorporation of mushroom flour and chickpea starch concentration. The lightness (L*) (71.79-53.84) decreased and yellowness (b*) (19.33-31.36) and redness (a*) (1.91-5.35) increased with the incorporation of mushroom flour and chickpea starch. The optimum cooking time decreased while as the water absorption capacity and cooking loss increased with increase in mushroom flour and chickpea starch concentration. The microstructure study and textural properties depicted the clear picture of protein network, with smooth outer surface, and the decrease in hardness with increased concentration of mushroom flour and chickpea starch. XRD and DSC results revealed that the prepared noodles contained more complete crystallites and high fraction of crystalline region and the linear increase in the gelatinization temperature with increase in composite flour concentration. The microbial analysis of noodles showed the decrease in microbial growth with the incorporation of composite flour.

The Effect of κ-Carrageenan Proportion and Hot Water Extract of the Pluchea indica Less Leaf Tea on the Quality and Sensory Properties of Stink Lily (Amorphophallus muelleri) Wet Noodles.

The study aims to determine the effect of the proportion of κ-carrageenan and the hot water extract of pluchea leaf tea on the quality and sensory properties of stink lily wet noodles. The research design is a randomized block design with two factors, i.e., the difference in the proportion of κ-carrageenan (K) (0, 1, 2, and 3% w/w) and the addition of the hot water extract of the Pluchea indica Less leaf tea (L) (0, 15, and 30% w/v), with 12 treatment levels (K0L0, K0L1, K0L2, K1L0, K1L1, K1L2, K2L0, K2L1, K2L2, K3L0, K3L1, K3L2). The data are analyzed by the ANOVA at p < 5% and continued with the Duncan's multiple range test at p < 5%, and the best treatment was determined by the spider web method based on sensory assay by a hedonic method. The proportions of κ-carrageenan and the concentration of pluchea tea extract had a significant effect on the cooking quality and sensory properties. However, the interaction of the two factors affected the swelling index, yellowness (b*), chroma (C), hue (h), total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and DPPH free radical scavenging assay (DPPH). The best treatment of wet noodles was K2L0, with a preference score of 15.8. The binding of κ-carrageenan and phenolic compounds to make a networking structure by intra- and inter-disulfide bind between glucomannan and gluten was thought to affect the cooking quality, sensory properties, bioactive compounds (TPC and TFC), and DPPH.

Development of a Ladder-Shape Melting Temperature Isothermal Amplification (LMTIA) Assay for the Identification of Cassava Component in Sweet Potato Starch Noodles.

Food authenticity has become increasingly important as a result of food adulteration. To identify the authenticity of sweet potato starch noodles, the ladder-shape melting temperature isothermal amplification (LMTIA) method of determining cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) DNA in sweet potato starch noodles was used. A set of primers targeted at the internal transcription spacer (ITS) of cassava was designed, genomic DNA was extracted, the LMTIA reaction temperature was optimized, and the specificity of the primer was verified with the genomic DNAs of cassava, sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.), Solanum tuberosum L., Zea mays L., Vigna radiate L., Triticum aestivum L., and Glycine max (L.) Merr. The sensitivity with the serially diluted genomic DNA of cassava and the suitability for the DNA extracted from sweet potato starch adulterated with cassava starch were tested. The LMTIA assay for identifying the cassava component in sweet potato starch noodles was established. At the optimal temperature of 52 °C, the primers could specifically distinguish a 0.01% (w/w) cassava component added to sweet potato starch. Additionally, the LMTIA method was applied to the cassava DNA detection of 31 sweet potato starch noodle samples purchased from retail markets in China. Of these, 14 samples were positive. The LMTIA assay could be a reliable method for the rapid detection of cassava components in sweet potato starch noodles, to protect the rights of consumers and to regulate the sale market order of starch noodles.

Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae co-fermentation on the structure and flavor of wheat noodles.

BACKGROUND: Although traditional fermented noodles possess high eating quality, it is difficult to realize large-scale industrialization as a result of the complexity of spontaneous fermentation. In present study, commercial Lactobacillus plantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were applied in the preparation of fermented noodles. RESULTS: The changes in the structural characteristics and aroma components of noodles after fermentation were investigated via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), low-field magenetic resonance imaging, electronic nose, and simultaneous distillation and extraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. SEM images revealed that co-fermentation of the L. plantarum and S. cerevisiae for 10-40 min enhanced the continuity of the gluten network and promoted the formation of pores. FTIR spectra analysis showed that the co-fermentation increased significantly (P < 0.05) the proportion of α-helices of noodles gluten protein, enhancing the orderliness of the molecular structure of protein. After fermentation for 10-40 min, the signal density of hydrogen protons increased from the surface to the core, indicating that the water in the noodles migrated inward during a short fermentation process. The results of multivariate statistical analysis demonstrated that the main aroma differences between unfermented and fermented noodles were mainly in hydrocarbons, aromatic compounds and inorganic sulfides. GC-MS analysis indicated that the main volatile compounds detected were 2, 4-di-tert-butylphenol, bis (2-ethylhexyl) adipate, butyl acetate, dibutyl phthalate, dioctyl terephthalate, bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, pentanol and 2-pentylfuran, etc. CONCLUSION: Co-fermentation with L. plantarum and S. cerevisiae improved the structure of gluten network and imparted more desirable volatile components to wheat noodles. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of konjac glucomannan on the long-term retrogradation and shelf life of boiled wheat noodles.

BACKGROUND: Starch retrogradation and moisture migration of boiled wheat noodles (BWNs) result in quality deterioration and short shelf life. The objective of this research was to investigate whether konjac glucomannan (KGM) could improve the quality of BWNs and further establish the shelf-life prediction model. RESULTS: The moisture distribution, recrystallization, and thermal properties of BWNs during refrigerated or ambient temperature storage were determined. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance data showed that KGM addition induced left-shifts of T21 and T22 values, indicating that KGM limited the mobility of bound and immobile water among noodle matrices. X-ray diffraction spectra revealed that KGM did not change the crystal patterns of BWNs but could inhibit the starch recrystallization after refrigerated storage. The Tp and ΔH values of retrograded samples notably (P < 0.05) decreased with the increase of KGM addition, suggesting the hinderance of starch retrogradation behavior by KGM. The shelf life of BWNs was predicted by accelerated storage test combined with the Arrhenius equation. The present data displayed that the predicted shelf life of vacuum-packed and sterilized BWNs with 10 g kg-1 KGM at 25 °C was 733 days, 2.4-fold that of the control group. CONCLUSION: BWNs with KGM addition could inhibit starch retrogradation and improve the storage stability, consequently promoting noodle quality. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Incorporation of quinoa seeds accessions in instant noodles improves their textural and quality characteristics.

The instant noodles were prepared with incorporation of two Egyptian quinoa seeds accessions to assess the impact of adding quinoa on cooking quality, texture properties, and organoleptic characteristics of instant noodles. Two groups of instant noodles were formulated with substituting wheat flour (72% extract) by quinoa seeds flour from red-colored SHAMS 17-2 and non-colored SHAMS 16 accessions at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% (w/w). The physicochemical and functional properties were determined as well as FTIR analysis was carried out. The results showed that incorporation of 10-30% quinoa seeds flour (w/w) in wheat-flour increased total polyphenol content, antioxidant activity, textural parameters, and cooking qualities without influencing the overall acceptability and instrumental color of noodles. The addition of quinoa flour donated to rapid rehydration, advanced cooking loss, water absorption, and amplified porosity. Besides, noodles with 50% of SHAMS 17-2 or SHAMS 16 shifted the FTIR spectrum of each amid in a noodle model, confirming that the phyto-complexes of quinoa seeds interacted with glutenins and/or gliadins amides of wheat flour, thus altering noodles properties. In conclusion, this work provided evidence that the red-colored quinoa seeds might be expended as a partial-ingredient for wheat-flour during instant noodles manufacturing.

Optimization of soy protein isolate, microbial transglutaminase and glucono-δ-lactone in gluten-free rice noodles.

BACKGROUND: Rice flour does not contain gluten and lacks cohesion and extensibility, which is responsible for the poor texture of rice noodles. Different technologies have been used to mitigate this challenge, including hydrothermal treatments of rice flour, direct addition of protein in noodles, use of additives such as hydrocolloids and alginates, and microbial transglutaminase (MTG). Recently, the inclusion of soy protein isolate (SPI), MTG, and glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) in the rice noodles system yielded rice noodles with improved texture and more compact microstructure, hence the need to optimize the addition of SPI, MTG, and GDL to make quality rice noodles. RESULTS: Numerical optimization showed that rice noodles prepared with SPI, 68.32 (g kg-1 of rice flour), MTG, 5.06 (g kg-1 of rice flour) and GDL, 5.0 (g kg-1 of rice flour) gave the best response variables; hardness (53.19 N), springiness (0.76), chewiness (20.28 J), tensile strength (60.35 kPa), and cooking time (5.15 min). The pH, sensory, and microstructure results showed that the optimized rice noodles had a more compact microstructure with fewer hollows, optimum pH for MTG action, and overall sensory panelists also showed the highest preference for the optimized formulation, compared to other samples selected from the numerical optimization and desirability tests. CONCLUSION: Optimization of the levels of SPI, MTG, and GDL yielded quality noodles with improved textural, mechanical, sensory, and microstructural properties. This was partly due to the favourable pH value of the optimized noodles that provided the most suitable conditions for MTG crosslinking and balanced electrostatic interaction of proteins. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Application of pulverization and thermal treatment to pigmented broken rice: insight into flour physical, functional and product forming properties.

The utilization of rice for food purposes involves pulverization and thermal processing which may affect its quality characteristics. Hence pigmented broken rice was processed in plate mill and hammer mill followed by thermal treatment by toasting to study the physical, and functional characteristics and their effect on rice noodle quality. Results showed that plate milled rice flour showed high concentration of particles with size below 148 µm particle (44%), increased redness (21%), bulk density (17%), sedimentation value (75%), damaged starch (72%), peak viscosity (17%), and caused microstructural changes compared to the hammer mill. The toasting of plate milled red and black rice flour caused an insignificant influence on particle size, color, and bulk density. However, it increased the sedimentation value to 134% and 94% and damaged starch by 44% and 19% in red and black rice flour respectively. Further, a reduction in peak viscosity (22%) in red, and increase (16%) in black, along with microstructural changes were also observed. The rice noodle prepared using plate milled, and toasted red rice flour was sensorily acceptable and exhibited excellent textural properties. The study showed that plate milling and thermal treatment significantly affect the quality characteristics of pigmented rice flour and end-product quality.

Preparation and textural properties of white salted noodles made with hard red winter wheat flour partially replaced by different levels of cross-linked phosphorylated RS4 wheat starch.

BACKGROUND: Resistant starch (RS) has health benefits and can be used as a functional ingredient in various food products. Kansas hard red winter (HRW) wheat is conventionally used for bread making and this is attributed to its strong gluten network. To develop Asian white salted noodles with a high RS content, HRW wheat flour was partially replaced with cross-linked phosphorylated RS4 wheat starch. Vital wheat gluten or wheat protein isolate was added to compensate for textural changes due to the addition of RS. RESULTS: The maximum recommended level of RS4 starch to replace HRW wheat flour was 40%. The substitution of 10-40 parts of RS4 for flour did not change hardness in cooked noodles but it did reduce their extensibility, cohesiveness, and springiness, which was probably due to the non-swelling properties of RS4. At 40 parts of RS4 replacement, supplementation of 2-8 parts of vital wheat gluten or wheat protein isolate in the composite flour notably enhanced the hardness and extensibility of cooked noodles, whereas cohesiveness and springiness were minimally affected. Supplemental vital wheat gluten produced a thicker protein network than endogenous protein or added wheat protein isolate, giving cooked noodles greater breaking force and distance. CONCLUSION: RS4 could be used as a functional ingredient to replace up to 40% of hard wheat flour for making Asian noodles while maintaining their hardness after cooking. The extensibility of cooked noodles with high RS4 could be noticeably enhanced by supplementation with vital wheat gluten in the composite flour (RS/flour = 40/60). © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Sorghum Pasta and Noodles: Technological and Nutritional Aspects.

Sorghum is a major cereal crop with various agronomic advantages, contains health-promoting compounds and is gluten-free. There is a growing tendency to use sorghum in pasta and noodle formulations, which are among the most widely consumed products in the world, but its potential benefits in human diet are not being fully exploited. Here we review research carried out during the past few years on the use of sorghum as the main ingredient or as an additive in pasta and noodles, highlighting its properties and production technology. Pasta and noodles can be produced with 5 to 100% of sorghum at laboratory, pilot or industrial scale with suitable cooking and textural quality coupled with distinctive sensory attributes. Cooking loss shows minimum values of 0.85 and 1.9 g/100 g for pasta and noodles, respectively, and high water absorption (up to 345 g/100 g). The interesting nutritional profile of the products generally includes up to 45% resistant starch (RS) and phenolic compound content with high antioxidant activity. In addition, tannins decrease starch digestibility 15-20%, producing low glycemic index (GI) products (below 65). This is especially important for celiac people, offering them the alternative of gluten-free sorghum pasta and noodles.

Effect of ozone treatment on processing properties of wheat bran and shelf life characteristics of noodles fortified with wheat bran.

The effects of ozone treatment on microorganism and volatile substances of wheat bran, as well as on the quality of fresh noodles made from wheat flour supplemented with ozone treated wheat bran were studied in this paper. Results showed that the optimized condition of ozone treatment was 50 min treatment time and optimized condition of bran properties were 15% moisture content, 15 mesh particle size. Under the optimized condition microbial contents in the wheat bran can be reduced more than 90% after ozone treatment. There was no significant increase in microbial contents of treated wheat bran during storage, whereas the types of volatile substances were gradually decreased. After the ozone treated wheat bran was added back to wheat flour and used for fresh noodles preparation, there were relatively few changes in the quality of the fresh noodles but the shelf life was prolonged as compared to the untreated bran.

Effects of freezing treatments on the quality of frozen cooked noodles.

Freezing process is one of the key steps in making frozen cooked noodles. Ice crystal formed in freezing process affects the quality of frozen cooked noodles. In this paper, we studied the effect of freezing treatment on frozen cooked noodles. Frozen cooked noodles were evaluated for microstructure and texture properties explored with a scanning electron microscope and texture analyzer at - 20 °C, - 30 °C and - 40 °C respectively. The results indicated that the microstructure and texture properties of frozen cooked noodles were significantly (P < 0.05) improved by a lower freezing temperature than a higher temperature. This present study also showed that the freezing rate is not the only parameter responsible for microstructure and texture properties that occur during freezing; the difference of flours also can be a factor. These findings, if generally applicable to frozen cooked noodle products, could have important economic implications for the convenience of the food industry.

Rice intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: the Singapore Chinese Health Study.

PURPOSE: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing in Asian populations. White rice is a common staple food in these populations and results from several studies suggest that high white rice consumption increases T2D risk. We assessed whether rice, noodles and bread intake was associated with T2D risk in an ethnic Chinese population. METHODS: We included data from 45,411 male and female Chinese participants of the Singapore Chinese Health Study cohort aged 45-74 years at baseline. Usual diet at baseline was evaluated by a validated 165-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Physician-diagnosed T2D was self-reported during two follow-up interviews. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 11 years, 5207 incident cases of T2D were documented. Rice intake was not associated with higher T2D risk [HR for extreme quintiles, 0.98 (95% CI 0.90, 1.08)] despite the large variation in intake levels (median intake for extreme quintiles: 236.5 g/day vs. 649.3 g/day), although the precise risk estimate depended greatly on the substitute food. Replacing one daily serving of rice with noodles [HR 1.14 (95% CI 1.07, 1.22)], red meat [HR 1.40 (95% CI 1.23, 1.60)] and poultry [HR 1.37 (95% CI 1.18, 1.59)] was associated with higher T2D risk, whereas the replacement of rice with white bread [HR 0.90 (95% CI 0.85, 0.94)] or wholemeal bread [HR 0.82 (95% CI 0.75, 0.90)] was associated with lower T2D risk. CONCLUSIONS: Higher rice consumption was not substantially associated with a higher risk of T2D in this Chinese population. Recommendations to reduce high white rice consumption in Asian populations for the prevention of T2D may only be effective if substitute foods are considered carefully. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY NUMBER AND WEBSITE: NCT03356340, http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.