I was in my sister’s house when I saw her parboiling instant noodles, or as we call them, ‘Indomie’. Apparently she heard, perhaps from Facebook, that parboiling makes noodles healthier and less deadly. But, is this true?
Does Parboiling or Two-boiling Noodles Make Them Healthier?
Research on the “two-boil” or “parboiling” method reveals that it leads to considerable nutrient loss, particularly of vitamin B. The findings indicate that instant noodles can lose between 45% and 55% of their thiamine content when boiling water is discarded. 
This was published in research by Bui and Small in their study, titled “The influence of formulation and processing on the retention of B vitamins in Asian noodles”, published in the Agricultural and Food Sciences Journal and on ResearchGate.
Furthermore, they discovered riboflavin (vitamin B2) levels exhibit even greater losses, ranging from 52% to 74%, as vitamins leach into the boiling water. The retention of folate also declines sharply, falling to about 30% after boiling.
The point of the research is that people should not discard noodle cooking water because they are discarding nutritional benefits from the added vitamins in the noodles.
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Is Noodles So Deadly?
According to McGill University, gastroenterologist Dr Braden Kuo is the source of headlines regarding the hazards of packaged noodles, with a special emphasis on the preservative TBHQ.
According to his investigation, things like moisture, fat, gluten level, and noodle shape revealed that manufactured noodles take longer to digest in the stomach than fresh ones.
However, since the small intestine is where nutritional absorption takes place, this conclusion is not very significant. They stated that it is untrue to say that TBHQ, a little preservative, has a negative impact on noodle disintegration and presents health dangers. When used in little quantities, TBHQ actually helps keep fat from going rancid. The amounts of TBHQ present in instant noodles are safe.
However, this doesn’t mean you should eat Indomie for breakfast, lunch and dinner all week because it has a very high salt content.
The “Two-Boil” Method and Fat Reduction
Research acknowledges a truth about the two-boil or parboil method: it reduces the amount of surface oil. According to research conducted by Lifehacker and Culinary Science, discarding the first boil reduces the amount of surface palm oil, which is saturated fat.
However, food scientists caution against this practice as it can result in a “net loss”. Although a small amount of fat may be eliminated, the discarded content also includes essential nutrients like iron, calcium, and B vitamins.
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