Process — How instant noodles are manufactured

The diagram illustrates the ten-stage industrial process by which instant noodles are manufactured.

Overall, the raw ingredients pass through mixing, shaping and frying stages before the finished noodle discs are placed in cups together with dried vegetables and seasoning, sealed, and dispatched.

The process begins with the storage of flour in silos, alongside tanks of water and oil. These three ingredients are fed into a mixing machine, which combines them into dough. The dough is then pressed into thin sheets by a series of rollers and cut into fine strips. Next, the strips are steamed so that they cook, and are moulded into the familiar round discs.

At the sixth stage the discs are fried in hot oil — a step whose main purpose is to remove moisture so the noodles keep for months — and they are then cooled and dried further with hot air. Each disc is placed in a cup, after which dried vegetables and a sachet of seasoning are added. Finally, the cups are sealed with a foil lid, packed into boxes and delivered to shops, ready to be prepared with nothing more than boiling water.