Current Trends in Enrichment of Wheat Pasta: Quality, Nutritional Value and Antioxidant Properties

Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum) Preparations in the Design of Novel Functional Pasta

This study investigated the design of novel pasta enriched with different forms of wild garlic (WG): a powder, an extract and an encapsulated extract applied at three enrichment levels (low/middle/high). The effect of cooking on changes in the content of bioactive compounds, antioxidative activity, cooking behaviour, texture, colour and sensory properties of the cooked pasta was evaluated. WG preparations significantly increased the antioxidant potential (by 185-600%) as well as the content of phenolics (by 26-146%), flavonoids (by 40-360%) and potassium (up to three-fold) in the cooked pasta, depending on WG type and enrichment level. Flavonoids were dominantly present in the free form. Cooking resulted in a significant loss of flavonoids (39-75%) whereas phenolics were liberated from the matrix. The highest increase in total phenolics and antioxidant activity was exerted by the WG powder and extract. Pasta hardness and adhesiveness were increased, but encapsulated WG deteriorated cooking behaviour. The best-scored enriched pasta regarding sensory quality and texture was that enriched with WG powder at the low/moderate level.

Pasta Enriched with Carrot and Olive Leaf Flour Retains High Levels of Accessible Bioactives after In Vitro Digestion

The aim of this research was to evaluate the levels of antioxidants and polyphenols in pasta enriched with either carrot or olive leaf flours after simulating gastrointestinal digestion. Pasta samples were prepared with fixed amounts of carrot and olive leaf flours (15% and 6% of the total mixture, respectively). We measured the antioxidant capacity and polyphenol content at different stages of the pasta production process, starting from the initial flour to the cooked pasta, and tested samples of the liquid component and solid waste resulting from the digestion process. The antioxidant activity was measured by the FRAP method, while the polyphenol content was measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Vitamin E contents were measured by HPLC. The pasta enriched with carrot (1.26 ± 0.05 mmol/100 g) and olive leaf (2.9 ± 0.07 mmol/100 g) exhibited higher antioxidant power compared to the unenriched pasta (0.8 ± 0.1 mmol/100 g). The polyphenol content followed a similar trend, with values of 131.23 ± 3.08 for olive flour-enriched pasta, 79.15 ± 1.11 for carrot flour-enriched pasta, and 67.5 ± 1.39 for the wheat-only pasta. The pasta samples maintained their antioxidant and polyphenol levels even after undergoing the simulated digestion process. Significantly, the liquid component of the pasta with olive leaf flours had the highest levels of antioxidants and polyphenols during all stages of the digestion process. According to the results of this study, pasta enriched with carrot and olive leaf flours shows promising potential for improving nutritional and functional properties by increasing antioxidant and polyphenol content. The samples were also evaluated by a sensory panel, which showed that fortification modified the perception of some organoleptic attributes without affecting the overall taste of the pasta.

Dragon fruit peel extract microcapsule incorporated pearl millet and dragon fruit pulp powder based functional pasta: formulation, characterization, and release kinetics study

The pearl millet based functional pasta was formulated by incorporating freeze dried dragon fruit pulp powder and 2% (w/w) microcapsule containing dragon fruit peel extract. The control pasta consisted of 100% pearl millet flour. The other four functional pasta samples consisted of pearl millet and freeze-dried dragon fruit pulp powder (DFP) in the ratio of 95:5, 90:10, 85:15, and 80:20 (w/w), respectively. The inclusion of dragon fruit powder enhanced the swelling index, water absorption index, color, and functional properties of the pasta. The total phenolic content (0.24-0.43 mg GAE/100 g d.w.), antioxidant activity (17.76-30.67%), and betacyanin content (0.149-0.152 mg/g d.w.) of the pasta was increased with the increase of dragon fruit pulp level in the formulation. The release kinetics of phenolic compounds into the simulated gastric juice was modeled using Higuchi and Peppas- Sahlin models. Out of these two models Peppas- Sahlin model (R 2 > 0.980 and R M S E < 1.527 ) found to predict the release of phenolics into simulated gastric juice with respect to time of release when compared with Higuchi model (R 2 > 0.964 and R M S E < 6.126 ). The onset of transition temperature and enthalpy of gelatinization of pasta samples was found to be in the range of 66.321-74.681 °C and increased with the increase of dragon fruit level in the formulation.

Factors Affecting the Nutritional, Health, and Technological Quality of Durum Wheat for Pasta-Making: A Systematic Literature Review

Durum wheat is one of the most important food sources in the world, playing a key role in human nutrition, as well as in the economy of the different countries in which its production areas are concentrated. Its grain also represents a staple and highly versatile ingredient in the development of health foods. Nonetheless, the aspects determining durum wheat's health quality and their interactions are many, complex, and not entirely known. Therefore, the present systematic literature review aims at advancing the understanding of the relationships among nutritional, health, and technological properties of durum wheat grain, semolina, and pasta, by evaluating the factors that, either positively or negatively, can affect the quality of the products. Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched utilising sets of keywords following the PRISMA guidelines, and the relevant results of the definitive 154 eligible studies were presented and discussed. Thus, the review identified the most promising strategies to improve durum wheat quality and highlighted the importance of adopting multidisciplinary approaches for such purposes.

Characterization of Durum-Wheat Pasta Containing Resistant Starch from Debranched Waxy Rice Starch

Durum wheat spaghetti samples prepared with increasing levels of resistant starch (RS) from debranched waxy rice starch (DWRS; i.e., 0, 5, 10, 15 g/100 g w/w) were analyzed for chemical composition, quality and sensory parameters and in vitro starch digestion. All the DWRS-containing spaghetti was “high in fibre”, the dietary fiber content being > 6 g/100 g. In addition, spaghetti with the highest level of DWRS showed the highest RS content (p < 0.05), being 11.4 g/100 g dry matter. The starch hydrolysis index decreased (p < 0.05) as the level of DWRS increased, with a reduction of >20% comparing the 15-DWRS pasta to the control. DWRS had a negative impact on quality parameters, especially at higher DWRS levels. The use of DWRS shortened the optimal cooking time and impacted the samples’ cooking loss, firmness, and stickiness. In addition, sensory analysis revealed differences among samples. However, irrespective of the level of DWRS in the recipe, the score for all attributes was > 5, which is considered the limit of acceptability. Substituting part of the semolina flour with DWRS increased the level of RS and the overall nutritional profile and affected the quality of semolina pasta, mainly at higher levels in the recipe.

Physical and culinary analysis of long gluten-free extruded pasta based on high protein quinoa flour

The consumption of foods with high protein content from pseudocereals is of great industrial interest. Pasta has a high gluten content; consequently, obtaining these gluten-free products is a technological challenge. The products obtained from quinoa show excellent results in protein and fiber with low glycemic index. This work focused on studying the effect of quinoa fat on the production of long pasta by extrusion in different mixtures of hyperprotein quinoa (HHP). It was observed that formulations with high percentages of starch showed a higher expansion rate, due to a higher fat content. Likewise, extruded pastes showed higher values of brightness than those containing lower percentages of starch and crude fat. The fracturability results were associated with the resistance of the paste to the pressure exerted for its deformation, which does not exceed 3.73 mm. The formulations with lower fat content presented high values in fracture stress due to the low diffusion of water and lipids. It was shown that fat has an indirect influence with a strong correlation with the expansion index and fracture stress and a moderate correlation (p &gt; 0.05) with Young's modulus, indicating that increasing the added fat content increases the percentage of mass loss by baking. The melting and cohesiveness of all components improved during extrusion due to the pregelatinization of cassava starch, the addition of defatted HHP and the availability of quinoa starch granules.

Quality Characteristics of Novel Pasta Enriched with Non-Extruded and Extruded Blackcurrant Pomace

Fruit pomace is a valuable by-product in terms of its chemical composition, which potential might be used through transformation of the pomace into food ingredients. The aim of this work was to assess the effect of partial (5% and 10%) substitution of powdered non-extruded or extruded blackcurrant pomace for semolina in pasta formula on nutritional and technological properties of the final product. The pasta was assessed for chemical composition, DPPH antiradical activity, color, cooking and textural properties. Presence of the by-products in the pasta resulted in increased total dietary fiber content (from 1.89 ± 0.06 up to 10.03 ± 0.15 g/100 g, dwb), fat content (from 1.29 ± 0.01 up to 2.70 ± 0.05 g/100 g, dwb) and DPPH antiradical activity (from 253 ± 15 up to 1037 ± 7 µmol TE/g, dwb), as well as in significantly different color (p < 0.05) as compared to the semolina-only pasta. The optimal cooking time was shortened by 1.0−1.5 min and by 2.0 min in the case of the lower and higher, respectively, level of pasta supplementation. The water absorption decreased by up to 32% in the enriched pasta. In general, the cooking loss remained unchanged. The uncooked product containing the extruded fruit pomace was characterized by significantly higher breaking strength (p < 0.05) as compared to the standard pasta. Presence of the pomace also affected texture of the cooked pasta, increasing its firmness and hardness and, when using the non-extruded pomace, the tensile strength. In our research, we have shown that durum wheat pasta enriched with 5 or 10% of powdered blackcurrant pomace or their extrudates constitute a food product of improved nutritional value and of appropriate textural characteristics, while maintaining culinary properties that meet pasta industry requirements.

Cooking Quality and Chemical and Technological Characteristics of Wholegrain Einkorn Pasta Obtained from Micronized Flour

The increased demand for healthier foods, the recognition of dry pasta as an ideal carrier of functional ingredients, and the current interest for ancient wheats such as einkorn motivated the present research. Two varieties of Triticum monococcum, namely cv Norberto and the free-threshing cv Hammurabi, were milled by ultra-fine milling process (micronization) to produce wholegrain spaghetti. Einkorn pasta was assessed in terms of technological and biochemical properties and cooking and sensorial quality and compared to durum wheat semolina pasta. Wholewheat einkorn pasta showed a threefold increase in total dietary fibre content as well as in total antioxidant capacity in comparison to the control. The level of resistant starch in cv Norberto resulted significantly higher respect to semolina and einkorn cv Hammurabi pasta. Despite the very weak einkorn gluten network, the sensory and instrumental assessment of pasta quality highlighted that einkorn spaghetti presented good sensorial properties related to their technological quality, in particular, for the overall judgment and firmness. Cultivar Hammurabi emerged as the preeminent compromise on the basis of technological performances together with chemical and sensorial aspects.

Special Issue on “Feature Review Papers in Section Food Processes”

The successive growth of the population, degradation of the natural environment, and development of civilization diseases force a continuous increase in the production of high-quality food [...]

Influence of Seaweeds on the Quality of Pasta as a Plant-Based Innovative Food

This study evaluated the effect of the incorporation of seaweed on the physicochemical and technological quality of pasta. For this purpose, enriched wheat pastas from different seaweeds (sea lettuce-Ulva lactuca, nori-Porphyra tenera, and wakame-Undaria pinnatifida) were made and compared with durum wheat pasta as a control treatment. Firstly, optimal cooking times were established by visual and instrumental methods. Then, the technological properties of weight gain (WG), swelling index (SI), cooking losses (CL), and moisture (H%) were determined. Protein and fiber analyses, texture profile analysis (TPA), and color measurements were also performed to evaluate the physicochemical properties. Overall, enriched pasta with seaweed revealed slightly shorter optimal cooking times than control pasta. Texture properties were also modified, with a lower value of hardness, and higher values of adhesiveness and resilience. However, due to the low percentages of seaweed (3%), noticeable effects were not appreciated. Moreover, color variations of enriched pasta were relevant due to the difference among seaweeds. Nonetheless, these additions increased the protein content and soluble fiber in these foods. In conclusion, pasta enriched with marine ingredients improved this nutritional profile, and the changes in technological properties did not have a major impact on the product quality.

Pasta with Kiwiberry (Actinidia arguta): Effect on Structure, Quality, Consumer Acceptance, and Changes in Bioactivity during Thermal Treatment

In this study, kiwiberry lyophilizate (KBL) was incorporated into pasta at different levels (5%, 10%, and 15% w/w). Kiwiberry fruits’ characteristics (ascorbic acid, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity determination) as well as physical (cooking properties, color, microscopic structure determination, texture, and water molecular dynamics analysis by low-field NMR) and chemical analyses (proximate composition phenolic compounds composition and antioxidant activity) of KBL-enriched pasta were investigated. The replacement of semolina with KBL in the production of pasta significantly changed its culinary properties. Results showed that the addition of KBL leads to a reduction in optimal cooking time and cooking weight (47.6% and 37.3%, respectively). Additionally, a significant effect of the KBL incorporation on the color of both fresh and cooked pasta was observed. A significant reduction in the L* value for fresh (27.8%) and cooked (20.2%) pasta was found. The KBL-enriched pasta had a different surface microstructure than the control pasta and reduced firmness (on average 44.7%). Low-field NMR results have confirmed that the ingredients in kiwiberry fruit can bind the water available in fresh pasta. The heat treatment resulted in increasing the availability of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activity (64.7%) of cooked pasta. Sensory evaluation scores showed that the use of 5–10% of the KBL additive could be successfully accepted by consumers.

The effect of the addition of various species of mushrooms on the physicochemical and sensory properties of semolina pasta

Interest in foods enriched with natural ingredients containing bioactive compounds prompts scientists to undertake research to investigate them. This work aimed to evaluate the chemical composition, physical properties, texture, and sensory properties of semolina pasta enriched with 2.5-10% dried mushroom powder (Lion's Mane (L), Maitake (M), Reishi (R), and Enoki (E)). Supplementation with dried mushrooms increased the nutritional value of all the enriched pasta variants, mainly by increasing the content of ash, protein, and dietary fiber. Fortification with Lion's Mane (10%), Reishi (7.5% and 10%), and Enoki (10%) increased the cooking loss of the pasta. A decrease in L* (lightness) and b* (yellowness) was observed in the enriched pasta, with the exception of the cooked E and L samples. Hardness was increased in the Enoki-supplemented cooked pasta. Only the pasta with 7.5% and 10% Lion's Mane and Reishi mushrooms did not have acceptable sensory attributes. Based on the research, the recommended level of supplementation is 5% for Lion's Mane and Reishi, 7.5% for Enoki, and 10% for Maitake mushrooms.

Pasta Enriched with Dried and Powdered Leek: Physicochemical Properties and Changes during Cooking

Food enrichment is commonly applied to increase the pro-health and dietary value of final products. This study aimed to evaluate how green leek powder (GL) added to semolina influenced the physicochemical, sensory, and cooking characteristics of the pasta. The pasta was prepared by partially substituting semolina with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 g/100 g of GL. Then, the pasta samples were assessed for color, cooking properties, sensory features, mechanical properties, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity (AA). The results indicated that GL significantly decreased the lightness and increased the yellowness of cooked pasta. The total color difference between the control pasta and enriched pasta samples ranged from 2.54 to 6.89 and 5.60 to 11.06 (for uncooked and cooked pasta, respectively). The addition of GL also caused an increase in the optimal cooking time and cooking loss. Moreover, a significant increase in stretching force was observed in cooked pasta. Sensory evaluation revealed that substitution of semolina with up to 2 g/100 g GL did not affect the smell, taste, and color of pasta. Most importantly, GL-enriched pasta was characterized by higher TPC and higher AA compared to the control samples. In summary, our results recommend partial replacement of semolina by GL (up to 3 g/100 g) in pasta production.

Buckwheat Hull-Enriched Pasta: Physicochemical and Sensory Properties

This work aimed to evaluate the effect of partial replacement of semolina with 0, 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20% of ground buckwheat hull (BH) on the chemical composition, antioxidant properties, color, cooking characteristics, and sensory properties of wheat pasta. Pasta samples were prepared by dough lamination (tagliatelle shape) and dried at 55 °C until the moisture content was 11–12% (wet basis). Analyses of samples showed that the addition of BH caused an increase in fiber content in pasta from 4.31% (control pasta) to 14.15% (pasta with 20% of BH). Moreover, the brightness and yellowness of BH-enriched products were significantly decreased compared to the control sample, and the total color difference ranged from 23.84 (pasta with 1% of BH) to 32.56 (pasta with 15% BH). In addition, a decrease in optimal cooking time, as well as an increased weight index and cooking loss, was observed in BH-enriched pasta samples. Furthermore, BH-enriched cooked pasta had significantly higher total phenolic content and antioxidant activity but an unpleasant smell and taste, especially if the level of BH was higher than 10%.

Response Surface Methodology and Textural Profile Analysis for Optimization of Fruit Peel-Based Extruded Snack (Elbow Macaroni)

Fruit peel (papaya and banana peel) waste, an agricultural by-product of the fruit processing industry, has abundant phytonutrients and is utilized as a new raw ingredient to develop extruded snack products (macaroni). In our study, macaroni was formulated by response surface methodology (RSM) and textural profile analysis (TPA) using a texture analyzer. The three critical ingredients A = FPB (i.e., papaya and banana peel blend mixed in the ratio of 5 : 2), B= finger millet, and C= semolina were selected to optimize macaroni with balanced nutrition and wholesomeness. Individual 3D plots of the different quality response variables were superimposed, and the maximum sensory scores in terms of texture, colour and appearance (C&A), and overall acceptability (OA) were 5.9, 6.6, and 6.1, respectively. The optimized critical, independent parameters (A = 30.66 g, B = 26.67 g, and C = 12.66 g) were observed for nutritional parameter as energy = 318.3 kcal, protein = 9.6 g/100 g, fiber= 2.7 mg/100 g, and calcium = 26.4 mg/100 g and textural profile (25.1 g force, 0.8 (dimensionless), 22.64 N, 0.91 mm, 20.66 N/mm for hardness/firmness, cohesiveness, gumminess springiness, chewiness, respectively). The proximate composition of optimized fruit peel macaroni was reported to have 5.06, 9.7, 2.7, 1.33, 1.42, and 79.79 percent of moisture, protein, fibre, fat, ash, and carbohydrate, respectively. Thus, instead of disposing and causing environmental hazards, the fruit peels act as promising sources for food supplementation and can be utilized for the nutritional enrichment of snack foods. The present work proposes an alternative method of utilizing food processing wastes (fruit peel) to develop useful value-added extruded food products. Such a replacement in innovative snacks may help in combating malnutrition and reduce the risk of obesity due to overconsumption of snack products.

Effect of Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) Supplementation on Physical and Chemical Properties of Semolina (Triticum durum) Based Fresh Pasta

Taking into account that many advantages have been associated with the consumption of spirulina (microalgae) in terms of antioxidant capacity, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging activities, the study focuses on spirulina supplementation of semolina-based pasta. Fresh pasta was prepared by mixing semolina flour (Triticum durum) with an addition of 3, 5, 7, and 10% (w/w) of spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) powder. Physicochemical and nutritional analyses were done on raw materials, and on fresh pasta before and after cooking. Sensorial analysis was done shortly after cooking pastas. Spirulina had a high content of protein (71.34%), with all the essential amino acids, a high total fiber (8.45%), as well as ash content (5.93%), which significantly increased the nutritional value of the obtained fresh pasta. Supplemented pastas have a significantly better amino acid profile and higher total fiber content (up to 2.99 g/100 g d.m.) than the control sample. Moreover, the addition of spirulina had a significant effect on the pasta’s color, weight gain, and cooking loss after being cooked. The addition of spirulina also affected the scores obtained for the individual parameters (texture, color, flavor, taste, and overall acceptability) of the sensory evaluation.