Dendrobium officinale (DO) is a well-known medicinal and edible plant, yet its impact on the quality of noodles has been infrequently reported. In this study, DO was incorporated into multi-grain flour in varying proportions (0, 2, 4, 6, 8%) to prepare noodles, and their quality was assessed. The percentage increase in DO decreased the cooking loss, whiteness, appearance, and taste of the noodles while simultaneously enhancing their water absorption, adhesiveness, smoothness, and starch digestion resistance. Lower supplemental levels of DO (2–4%) facilitated the water absorption of protein and the formation of a dense and extensive protein network surrounding the partially gelatinized starch, which was characterized by higher relative crystallinity. The highest sensory score (77.4) and greatest content of slowly digestible starch content (38%) were observed in the noodles containing 4% DO. Conversely, higher percentages of DO (6–8%) diluted and compromised the protein network in the cooked noodles, leading to water migration from protein to starch. The excessive polysaccharides from DO tended to complex with fully gelatinized starch, promoting starch aggregation and interactions between starch and non-starch components. This ultimately resulted in the highest adhesiveness and resistant starch content (34%) in the cooked noodles with 8% DO. These findings provide a reference for enhancing noodle quality by regulating the amount of DO added, thereby promoting the application of DO in cereal-based food products.

Oxidative stress, which results from an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), can cause damage that may contribute to a range of metabolic disorders. Antioxidants are considered to upregulate the activity of antioxidant enzymes, which are crucial for eliminating excess ROS and safeguarding the body against oxidative stress-induced damage. In the present study, the effect of polyphenol extracts from tartary buckwheat sprouts (TBSE) on the redox system of HepG2-cell-induced oxidative injury by hydrogen peroxide were investigated for evaluating the protective effect and mechanism of tartary buckwheat sprouts (TBS). The results revealed that TBSE that had sprouted for a period of 10 days possessed six predominant phenolic compounds, ranked from the most abundant to the least: chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, ferulic acid, and quercetin. TBSE could successfully inhibit H₂O₂-induced ROS overproduction, restore and balance the mitochondrial membrane potential, while also significantly increasing cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) and the expression of protective enzymes such as SOD, CAT, and GST. More interestingly, treating HepG2 cells with TBSE triggered the translocation of Nrf2 to the nucleus, accompanied by a negative feedback mechanism involving Keap1. Therefore, it regulated the downstream production of antioxidant enzymes, including NQO1 and HO-1. Overall, this finding suggested that TBSE could restore the redox state of H₂O₂-resistant HepG2 cells, indicating TBSE protected cells from H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress significantly. Beneficial resistance and effects on redox balance were attributed to activation of Nrf2. Present work revealed the potential health benefits of TBS and provided a test basis for developing functional food of TBS.