Traditionally made from rice flour and water, vermicelli’s current formulation is mostly carbohydrates and lacks the additional essential nutrients, minerals, protein and fibre increasingly valued by consumers.
Given today’s consumer preference for foods rich in bioactive compounds like antioxidants, vitamins, and dietary fibre, manufacturers are exploring ways to incorporate functional ingredients into everyday staples like vermicelli.
OFSP, with its high carotenoid, polyphenol, and fibre content, is a strong candidate for improving both the nutritional quality and sensory appeal of vermicelli.
Better fibre, texture, and support of local agriculture
Adding OFSP powder can also enhance vermicelli’s physical structure. Studies have found that factors such as amylose levels, protein, and fibre content in the flour can influence vermicelli’s texture.
While the standard wet-milling process can make vermicelli softer and more delicate, supplementing rice flour with OFSP improves the noodle’s firmness and resilience in cooking.
Past research has shown that substituting a portion of rice starch with potato starch can improve vermicelli’s texture, cooking weight, and smoothness — effects researchers anticipate could be replicated with OFSP.
OFSP is particularly high in beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A that supports eye health and immune function.
The natural orange hue from OFSP’s carotenoids not only boosts vermicelli’s nutritional profile but also gives it an appealing colour that can differentiate it from standard rice noodles.
OFSP’s fibre content also aligns with increasing consumer demand for heart-healthy foods, offering manufacturers a chance to create a functional, fibre-enriched noodle product.
Additionally, with OFSP production on the rise in regions like Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, this approach could also support local agriculture and sustainable production goals.
Local sourcing of ingredients like OFSP may help reduce carbon emissions associated with long-distance ingredient transport, supporting manufacturers’ commitments to sustainability and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
OFSP has traditionally been used in food processing for flours, pasta and natural colourants, yet its application in rice-based noodles like vermicelli remains underexplored.
Incorporating OFSP into vermicelli recipes can give producers an opportunity to tap into growing demand for nutrient-dense, functional foods, potentially addressing public health concerns like vitamin A deficiency.
F3: Formula for fibre-rich flour
Researchers at Can Tho University and King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang reported that incorporating OFSP into vermicelli not only enhanced its health benefits but also maintained the cooking qualities consumers would expect.
They tested five different vermicelli formulas, replacing portions of rice flour with OFSP powder in amounts ranging from 10% to 25% in order to create a more nutritious product that could appeal to a broader market.
Subsequently, they pinpointed a standout formula, known as F3, which contained 20% OFSP powder and 80% rice flour. It delivered significant health advantages with high levels of beta-carotene (9.29 μg/g) — a nutrient that supports vitamin A production — and performed better during cooking compared to traditional vermicelli made from 100% rice flour.
In terms of appearance and texture, the researchers used advanced techniques to analyse the F3 formula’s structure. They found that adding OFSP improved the starch granules’ cohesion, leading to better texture and mouthfeel.
It also maintained a bright colour and firm consistency, ensuring a quality product. Cooking tests showed that it absorbed more water and increased in both weight (59.88%) and volume (56.89%), while losing less solid matter (only 7.08%) during cooking.
From a health perspective, the OFSP-enriched vermicelli offered clear benefits. The F3 formula had a lower estimated glycaemic index (GI) of 51.24 than the traditional vermicelli’s GI of 58.24, making it a better option for diabetics and pre-diabetics.
Additionally, its negative potential renal acid load (PRAL) score of -1.45 suggested the product could help balance the body’s acid levels.
The future of flour
This research points to a promising opportunity for food manufacturers to scale up the production of OFSP-enriched vermicelli. Not only can this innovation boost nutrition, it also meets rising consumer demand for healthier, functional foods.
Additionally, using locally sourced sweet potatoes, especially from Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region where production is increasing, could provide economic benefits for local agriculture.
The researchers concluded: “SEM (scanning electron microscopy) showed that the addition of OFSP powder was beneficial to rice vermicelli, as it promoted the formation of a dense gel network and increased the water binding capacity of the sample.
“Thus, the addition of OFSP powder could provide a convenient, economical and environmentally friendly strategy to improve the quality of rice noodles, which can contribute to improving community nutrition from a common daily food product.”
Source: ScienceDirect
“Orange-flesh sweet potato powder as a promising partial substitution rice flour to produce high quality and low glycemic index vermicelli”
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2024.101464
Authors: Tran Ngoc Giau, et al.
