Do you like Instant noodles?

        The main ingredients used in dried noodles are usually wheat flour, palm oil, and salt. Common ingredients in the flavoring powder are salt, monosodium glutamate, seasoning, and sugar. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash frying cooked noodles, and this is still the main method used in Asian countries, but air-dried noodle blocks are favored in Western countries.

Instant noodles were invented by Momofuku Ando (born Go Pek-Hok) of Nissin Foods in Japan. They were launched in 1958 under the brand name Chikin Ramen. In 1971, Nissin introduced Cup Noodles, the first cup noodle product. Instant noodles are marketed worldwide under many brand names.

Instant noodles were invented by Taiwanese-Japanese inventor Momofuku Ando in Japan. It was first marketed on 25 August 1958 by Ando's company, Nissin, under the brand name Chikin Ramen. Ando developed the production method of flash frying noodles after they had been made, creating the "instant" noodle. This dried the noodles and gave them a longer shelf life, even exceeding that of frozen noodles. Each noodle block was pre-seasoned and sold for 35 yen. Initially, due to its price and novelty, Chikin Ramen was considered a luxury item, as Japanese grocery stores typically sold fresh noodles for one-sixth their price. Despite this, instant noodles eventually gained immense popularity, especially after being promoted by Mitsubishi Corporation. Initially gaining popularity across East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, where they are now firmly embedded within the local cultures of those regions, instant noodles eventually spread to and gained popularity across most other parts of the world.

In 1971, Nissin introduced Nissin Cup Noodles, a cup noodle to which boiling water is added to cook the noodles. A further innovation added dried vegetables to the cup, creating a complete instant soup dish.

According to a Japanese poll in the year 2000, "The Japanese believe that their best invention of the twentieth century was instant noodles." As of 2010, approximately 96 billion servings of instant noodles are eaten worldwide every year. China consumes 42 billion packages of instant noodles per year – 44% of world consumption, Indonesia – 14 billion, Japan – 5.3 billion, Vietnam – 4.8 billion, USA – 4 billion. Per capita, South Koreans consume the greatest amount of instant noodles, 69 per capita per year.

Instant noodles from different countries

1. Argentina

In Argentina, instant noodles are gaining popularity and can be found in supermarkets in most major cities. The brand is usually Sapporo Ichiban. The Maruchan brand can also be found at Disco and Coto supermarkets. Due to the recent Chinese immigration wave, specialized Chinese supermarkets offer a wide variety of instant noodle brands.

2. Australia

The most popular manufacturer of instant noodle in Australia is San Remo Macaroni Company, whose Fantastic and Suimin brands hold a 30% market share. Other brands include Indomie, Indomie Mi Goreng, Maggi, Mr Lee's Noodles, Wai Wai, Nissin's Demae Ramen, and Nongshim's Shin ramyun served with broth. Instant noodles are often referred to as "two-minute noodles" in Australia, a reflection of their preparation time.

3. Bangladesh

Maggi is the most popular brand of instant noodle in Bangladesh. Instant noodles are a popular snack. They are often combined with eggs and seasonal vegetables.

4. Brazil

For a long time, the main manufacturer of instant noodle was Nissin Miojo, to the extent that in Brazil the most common name for them is "miojo", which is a Nissin trademark. Manufacturers call them "lámen", from Japanese ramen. Many other companies, such as Maggi and Nestlé, also offer this product. There are many variants, such as "Lámen Cremoso", which has a creamy sauce, and "Lámen Hot", which includes pepper, as well as yakisoba and spaghetti.

5. Canada

Instant noodles were first introduced into Canada at least as early as 1974[citation needed], with Ramen noodles as its Japanese originator. There are many brands available, including major brands from companies such as Nissin Foods, Sapporo Ichiban, Mr. Noodles, Nongshim, and Knorr. In some areas, these noodles are referred to simply by their brand names, though they are predominantly referred to as "instant noodles". These brand-name packages generally only contain one flavoring pouch. Some brands, mostly more expensive Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Thai brands, include more flavoring and separate packets for dried vegetables, flavoring contained in oil, and pepper, in addition to the soup stock. Korean brands such as Nongshim are readily available in most large grocery stores, and in some major cities, brands imported from Europe are also available.

In larger grocery stores and Asian markets in larger cities, a large variety of brands and international flavors can be found, including noodles from such places as Thailand, Indonesia, and India. Instant noodles from Grace, a Caribbean food company, are available in some places. Due to the large South Asian population in some major cities, Maggi is also a popular brand. Product formats include regular plastic wrapping and in various foam food containers.

6. China/Taiwan

The market is focusing on higher-end products. The top three brands in this category dominate more than 85% of the market; for the lower end, the leading five brands hold about 60% of the market share. The dominant brands in the Chinese market are:

Ting Yi (aka Master Kong or Kang-shi-fu, 康师傅), owned by the Taiwanese Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corporation and managed with a Japanese strategic alliance partner Sanyo Food, the third-largest player in the Japanese market. Master Kong is the largest brand, with a business scope extending to beverages (RTD) and bakeries.

Uni-President (aka President or Tong-Yi, 统一), a PLC listed in Taiwan. Like Master Kong, it once had its own businesses in beverages and bakeries. However, the company recently formed a JV partnership with Hwa-Long and Nissin to distribute beverages. Uni-President's home market is Taiwan, but the company is now expanding aggressively in mainland China.

Hwa-Long (华龙, i.e. Chinese Dragon), a local company allied with Nissin. Because of that relationship, Hwa-long has long been regarded as Nissin's agent in the world's largest consumer market. Recently Hwa-long, Nissin, and Uni-President formed a partnership in the beverage business in order to collectively compete against Master Kong.

Bai-xiang (白象, i.e. White Elephant), a local company spin-off based on a former state-owned enterprise, which still enjoys a strong local customer base. It is a leading brand in terms of volume, and its products fall into the lower price range.

In 2014, instant noodles sales declined by 9.1 percent year-on-year, due to some lower-income migrant workers shifted to more quality instant noodles from Korea, while Chinese instant noodle companies lured the consumers with cheaper instant noodles. 40 billion packets of instant noodles sold annually in China with about half a portion of the world's consumption per year.

Nutritive value

The main ingredients of instant noodles are wheat flour, palm oil, seasoning sauce and dehydrated vegetable leaves, which are essential ingredients to supplement human nutrition. With the acceleration of globalization and the improvement of life rhythm, instant noodles, delicious food which can quickly satisfy hunger and is rich in nutrients, are becoming more and more popular.

According to Professor Hu Xiaosong, Ph.D. supervisor of the School of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering, China Agricultural University, instant noodles are often criticized by people. It is believed that eating more instant noodles is harmful to health, mainly for the following reasons:

First, the oil content is high, because most instant noodles are fried to dry the noodles. But Professor Hu pointed out that compared with fries and hamburgers, the oil content in instant noodles is not very high. The average oil content in each serving is about 16%-18%. Among them, 11% is palm oil, that is, vegetable oil beneficial to human health, while the oil content in a hamburger is about 30%, nearly double that of instant noodles.

Second, it contains certain additives. When it comes to additives, we talk about Tiger discoloration and think it is an unhealthy substance. This is a misunderstanding in concept. The food industry can not do without additives such as thickeners and stabilizers. All the additives allowed by the state have been strictly tested and proved harmless to the human body. You can rest assured that they are edible.

Thirdly, acrylamide has attracted many people's attention. Professor Hu pointed out that all starch foods produce this carcinogen in high-temperature cooking (over 120 C), so there are French fries and instant noodles.

According to many people's view that instant noodles are not nutritious, in fact, in instant noodles and condiment bags, the six essential nutrients for the human body - water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins are all available, so nutrition is relatively comprehensive. The dehydrated vegetable in the condiment bag basically preserves the nutrition of the original vegetable, but it is slightly inadequate because of its small amount. But the dietary balance is based on the premise of reasonable food mix. As long as the instant noodles are eaten, more vegetables, fruits and other vitamin-rich foods are used. New nutritious instant noodles are being developed at home and abroad, such as nutritious fortified instant noodles with iodine or iron, instant noodles with weight loss, instant noodles suitable for diabetes mellitus and so on, which can meet the nutritional needs of different people in the future.

The oil quality of instant noodles is generally added with antioxidants, but it can only slow down the oxidation rate, delay the aging time, and can not completely prevent the aging. Oily food will break down its nutrients, produce peroxidized lipids, and have a halo taste after being rancid. Long-term excessive peroxide lipids into the human body, the body's important enzyme system have certain damage, but also to promote premature aging.