March 24, 2025
GEA and Pulmuone honor generations of cold noodle craftsmanship
When plant-forward South Korean food producer Pulmuone brought GEA the challenge of developing a modern spin on the traditional chewy cold (naengmyeon) noodle, GEA’s R&D experts were up to the challenge. They helped develop what is now a commercial hit produced with less water and electricity than previously existing methods. The result is also true to the traditional origins of the dish as well as Pulmuone’s health, well-being and sustainability roots.
Naengmyeon noodles are the core ingredient of a unique traditional dish in Korean cuisine. They are made by kneading buckwheat and starch and are then extruded under great pressure and high temperature to give them the chewy texture and elasticity that Koreans love so much. They add cold dongchimi (radish water kimchi) and beef broth or bibimjang (spicy Korean sauce) prepared in advance to the boiled noodles. The final touch is to garnish with vegetables, eggs and boiled meat.
Clear briefing for fine engineering
With that idea of the original naengmyeon in mind, Pulmuone came to GEA with very specific requirements: a soft consistency, perfect cooking stability, a pungent taste, no risk of overcooking and no starch release in the broth.
Traditional food is an integral part of a culture and in order to succeed, you have to be willing to get to know a dish inside out, as well as understand the value of it.
Nico Scattola
Sales Manager Extruded Food Technologies at GEA
In the case of Pulmuone, a South Korean company with a rich tradition in promoting sustainable and healthy eating habits, that’s exactly what GEA did.
On a mission for health
Established in 1981 in Seoul by farmer Won Kyung-sun, Pulmuone produces healthy food with natural and organic ingredients. It promotes a Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) diet defined by attention to health, well-being and environmental sustainability. Their food products should exemplify LOHAS principles, by including organic and natural foods, fair-trade products, locally sourced items, plant-based options and more eco-friendly packaging. Today, Pulmuone's product range includes tofu, fresh noodles, ready meals and other health-conscious foods. Their mission: Healthy and happy individuals and families who enjoy their meals while protecting the health of the Earth.
Nico Scattola, Sales Manager Extruded Food Technologies at GEA, explains machinery to Pulmuone counterparts.
Traditional cold noodles for everyone
Back in 2019, GEA first heard about Pulmuone’s plans to translate the company philosophy into a noodle product designed for both local consumption and export, Scattola explains. “A tricky challenge but one that was right up our alley. Industrializing the production of a traditional dish is an exciting journey that requires quite a bit of technical know-how and a whole bunch of dedicated people who love food just as much as our customers do. As an established company, Pulmuone knew exactly what they wanted: to bring healthy Korean traditions closer to a much wider audience and strengthen their position in a competitive market.”
Chewy and bouncy
Thanks to a wealth of experience in pasta making, GEA provides cutting-edge processing lines for the production of a wide range of formats, including long and short-cut dry pasta, fresh pasta and also noodles.
“Our R&D team in Italy tried to capture the essence of the product first,” says Scattola. GEA then got the go-ahead at the end of 2020. The first step was a large-scale production of Naengmyeon noodles at the Pulmuone food manufacturing site in Eumseong, South Korea. This was followed by a pilot line installed at the prestigious Pulmuone Institute of Technology in Osong, South Korea.
Gelatinization
In the production of noodles, gelatinization is a fundamental process, because it’s essential for obtaining the desired compactness and quality. It transforms the starch in the flour into a gelatinous form. This occurs when the water encounters heat. This change of state makes it possible to obtain a final structure that is resistant and retains the correct quantity of water.
A starch that is not completely gelatinized could lead to a finished product that is hard and difficult to cook evenly. The gelatinized noodles can absorb water more effectively when cooking, improving their flavor and their palate experience.
Experts in extrusion technology
Extrusion technology is at the center of the process. “Extrusion is a complex process that involves much more than just a screw inside a barrel,” Scattola says. “With our expertise and know-how, we transform this intricate technology into a smooth and efficient operation.
“This type of noodles line engineered by GEA combines two kinds of single-screw extruders: the xTru Cooker and the xTru Former. This combination allows us to precook and form the product directly at the extrusion stage. It guarantees a high-quality product, with a stronger and chewier texture and a pleasant bite-feel.”
Working with novel ingredients
GEA offers a solution that stands out for its ability to handle a variety of raw materials beyond just standard wheat. This unique approach to extrusion technology allows the processing of a wide range of raw materials, including mixes of cereals and starches, and increases the protein content by using ingredients derived from legumes.
The GEA xTru Cooker is equipped with a doser for the dry raw ingredients, a modulator for constant injection of water and a premixer that works continuously to amalgamate the dry part with the liquid.
The noodle product is then processed inside the dough tank, before being transferred into the extrusion cylinder, where the single screw will cook the product and start its gelatinization.
“After flour hydration and mixing, the forced feeder fills the cooking barrel, which can reach high temperatures, thanks to the heaters surrounding the cylinder, as well as a conditioning unit that provides the temperature profile required to cook specific kinds and blends of flours,” Scattola explains.
The dough is then transferred to the second extruder, the GEA xTru Former, used for extruding and forming pre-gelatinized raw materials at controlled temperatures. A wide range of products can be obtained by varying the process conditions, raw materials and dies.
Younsung Cho, Pulmuone’s R&D manager, brought GEA the challenge of working with new starches to create traditional Korean cold noodles.
Zero steam, up to 3.5 times less energy
Traditional Naengmyeon noodles are made using the traditional Asian cooking method. During the gelatinization phase, pressurized steam is injected, which means the heat is transferred thermally. “This is not an efficient way to transfer heat,” says Scattola. “There is a rapid loss of energy, and the product tends to overhydrate. With our solution, heat transfer occurs mechanically.”
For instance, in a GEA extrusion system processing 1,000 kg of flour, around 120 kW of electricity is used, whereas a traditional process requires about 350 to 420 kW for an identical capacity, depending on the system.
Perfect match with GEA
Pulmuone found a flexible and reliable partner in GEA. “Despite the technical challenges, they were responsive to all our requests,” Younsung Cho, Pulmuone’s R&D manager, points out. “Thanks to the outstanding quality of their work, our cold noodles have become the No. 1 cold noodle product in Korea. It’s a milestone that we couldn’t have achieved without GEA.”
Indeed, GEA’s know-how was crucial in addressing the challenges associated with the large-scale production of naengmyeon and turning it into a commercial success. In addition to aspects related to the quality of the finished product, the GEA solution makes complete process automation possible, resulting in fewer production workers, high production capacity and lower total cost of ownership.
At the Pulmuone Institute of Technology in Osong, South Korea, employees test new products and manufacturing technologies.
With its ‘Engineering for a better world’ credo, GEA fully embraces our values.
Younsung Cho
R&D manager at Pulmuone
