Indonesia Develops Tubers-Based Noodles, Texture and Taste Compared to Wheat Flour

JAKARTA, CNBC Indonesia – Noodles are a staple food that cannot be separated from the daily lives of Indonesians. Data from the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA) shows Indonesia is the second-largest consumer of instant noodles globally after China, with wheat flour consumption reaching 7.41 million metric tons annually.

Senior Researcher Enny Sholichah of BRIN’s Molecular Chemistry Research Centre stated that this high consumption impacts national wheat demand, prompting the need for non-wheat alternatives. “This is a challenge for national food security, a key government program, and also a way to substitute wheat flour in noodle production,” she said in a statement quoted on 1 June 2026.

She highlighted Indonesia’s potential in carbohydrate sources such as cereals, tubers, and sago, which have high starch content suitable for non-wheat noodles. “Local ingredients can provide alternatives for staple food diversification, particularly in noodle form, reducing national wheat consumption and bolstering food security,” she added.

Sholichah explained that the elasticity of traditional wheat noodles comes from gluten, a protein mixture in wheat. Gluten’s role in creating chewy, elastic dough stems from its air-tight properties. However, non-wheat noodles rely on starch gelatinisation – a physical process where starch granules absorb water, swell, lose crystalline structure, and form a gel when heated.

“This process replaces gluten’s function, forming noodle structure, enhancing chewiness, and reducing cooking loss,” she said. Gelatinisation can be achieved through partial pregelatinisation, steaming, or hot extrusion.

The research focuses on using local materials like corn, MOCAF (Modified Cassava Flour), tempeh, and rice flour to improve nutritional value while maintaining texture and processing ease. “Using a single ingredient often fails to meet consumer taste preferences, so a composite blend is needed, considering glycemic index (GI) levels. Low-GI noodles are also in demand for health-conscious consumers,” she explained.

GI measures how quickly carbohydrate-rich foods raise blood sugar levels. Sholichah also stressed the importance of particle size in flour for quality noodles and reducing cooking loss – the amount of solids that dissolve in boiling water. “Lower cooking loss means better quality and chewiness, as the noodles don’t disintegrate easily during cooking,” she added.

For commercialisation, BRIN collaborates with regional governments and industries. Sumenep Regency in East Java, a major corn producer, is a key partner. “Sumenep needs product diversification technology to serve as an alternative staple food for local communities,” Sholichah said.

BRIN offers ready-to-implement technology with support during implementation. Strategic partnerships with entities like PT Nuang Prima and PT Sedana have led to the commercialisation of Mocca Pasta, which creates local employment and boosts agricultural commodity value while contributing to national food security.