The characterization of dough quality, antioxidant capacity and aroma profile of noodles incorporated with golden ear mushroom (Naematelia aurantialba) and large-leaf yellow tea powder.

Wheat-based noodles are a global staple food but often lack sufficient nutritional and functional ingredients. This study examined the interaction of the golden ear mushroom (GEM) and large-leaf yellow tea (LYT) powders on pasting properties, water mobility (LF-NMR), protein secondary structure (FTIR), antioxidant capacity, amino acid profile, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using an electronic nose (E-nose) and gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). Pasting analysis revealed that GEM and LYT fortification caused a significant increase in peak and final viscosities, which indicated enhanced starch gelatinization and stability. LF-NMR displayed a reduction of mobility of bound and partially immobilized water, indicated more water-protein interactions, and a more compact noodle matrix. FTIR spectra revealed that GEM encouraged the formation of β-sheet, stabilized gluten structure, but LYT polyphenols partially preserved α-helix content, helping maintain protein structural flexibility. Phenolic and flavonoid contents increased significantly in GEM-LYT noodles, suggesting enhanced antioxidant potential. The amino acid profiling revealed an increase in the essential and umami-related amino acids (Asp, Glu) and an increase in total free amino acids to 65.60 mg/100 g. E-nose analysis revealed better response of the W1S and W1W in GEM and GEM-LYT-XG noodles, suggesting an increased release of methyl and sulfur-containing volatiles, respectively. GC-IMS detected 63 volatile compounds, with the majority of them being aldehydes, alcohols, and ketones, and PLS-DA resulted in an additional identification of 16 VOCs (VIP > 1), including aldehydes like hexanal, octanal, and (E)-2-octenal. These results indicate that both GEM and LYT powders have led to improved quality of the noodles, an increased bioactive component, and an improved aroma profile.