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South Korean agricultural processor HanAll F&B Farming Association Corporation (hanallfnb) is advancing proprietary noodle manufacturing technology designed to increase the utilisation of domestically grown rice across commercial noodle production.
Following a patent application filed in June for its novel rice noodle manufacturing method, the Taebaek, Gangwon Province-based company is refining the process to lower technical barriers associated with domestic grain processing. The technology focuses on reducing manufacturing dependence on specific, niche rice cultivars while improving noodle strand separability during processing and cooking.
The R&D initiative addresses a long-standing technical hurdle in grain processing: formulating noodles with a domestic rice flour content of 50% or higher without compromising dough cohesion, extrusion stability, or textural integrity. HanAll F&B plans to leverage the platform to expand from standard rice noodles into adjacent culinary categories, including rice pasta and traditional Korean cold noodles (naengmyeon).
"Our goal is to make it possible to produce noodles from any variety of domestic rice based on this patent," stated HanAll F&B. "We hope that a wide variety of rice noodles will be launched by many different manufacturers, and that the market for Korean domestic rice noodles will grow substantially."
Overcoming High-Inclusion Formulation Challenges
In commercial noodle manufacturing, substituting wheat flour with rice presents significant rheological challenges due to the absence of gluten. While some manufacturers rely on specialised, high-amylose rice cultivars to achieve structural firmness, sourcing is often limited and geographically constrained.
HanAll F&B's research programme sought to remove these input restrictions:
🌾 Cultivar Versatility: Formulated to process diverse regional rice harvests, mitigating the supply chain risks associated with relying on single, bespoke grain varietals.
🥣 High Rice Flour Content: Overcomes processing constraints to maintain a domestic rice flour content exceeding 50% of the total formulation.
🍜 Improved Separability: Resolves strand agglomeration and sticking during industrial drying, boiling, and rehydration, yielding consistent texture and bite.
The development programme spanned three years and consumed approximately six tonnes of rice flour to optimise processing parameters, starch gelatinisation, and mechanical extrusion curves.
Follow-Up Product Platforms and Menu Applications
Rather than viewing the patent as a single finished SKU, HanAll F&B treats the method as an operational platform to support product diversification across sweet and savoury formats:
🍜 Traditional Rice Noodles: The foundational platform, engineered for rapid rehydration and stability in hot broth and stir-fry preparations.
🍝 Rice Pasta: Extruded pasta formats designed to maintain al dente structure and firm bite under Western culinary cooking conditions.
🧊 Rice Naengmyeon: Elastic, chewy noodles formulated to retain textural firmness in chilled, iced broths and spicy mixed cold dishes.
By pairing manufacturing process development with varied product formats, the company aims to broaden rice consumption into ready-to-heat and packaged categories beyond traditional table-cooked rice.
Commercialisation and Regional Agricultural Upcycling
Based in Taebaek, HanAll F&B built its commercial foundation producing foods using wild mountain greens and regional agricultural specialities from Gangwon Province, developing expertise in raw material washing, controlled ageing, and custom recipe development.
The company is extending these food manufacturing capabilities into primary cereal processing to increase the off-take of local agricultural yields. To support commercial adoption, HanAll F&B plans to present the technology and prototype product lines directly to domestic and international retail buyers, using commercial feedback to refine downstream manufacturing lines and distribution partnerships.
By establishing a flexible processing method that accommodates variable domestic rice inputs, the company aims to provide food manufacturers with a scalable pathway to introduce clean-label, rice-based noodle formats into mainstream retail grocery and foodservice channels.
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