Pasta is a conventional Italian product made from durum wheat semolina and characterized by high protein content, firm shape and texture. Extrusion technology allows incorporation of a variety of ingredients to pasta such as legumes, millets, pseudo cereals and others including mushrooms, tubers and pigmented components to enrich conventional pasta. It is a convenient, popular and versatile product, offering the food industry and researchers the opportunity to offer high nutritional quality by using alternative ingredients of nutritive excellence with a high concentration of bioactive components which induce several health benefits through antioxidative pathways. To deal with compromised functional properties of resultant pasta, different techno-functional interventions including use of hydrocolloids and modification of flours which are used to improve rheological and textural profile are necessary.
Advances in Pasta Technology documents the history of pasta and its rise from niche to mainstream. The book is divided into 4 sections including an introduction that covers pasta history, global market statistics, traditional pasta making technology and processing along with quality characteristics. Another section is dedicated to nutritive valorization of pasta including modulation in the bio-functional characteristics as a function of ingredients including development of gluten free pasta, micronutrient fortification approach and use of protein, fibre and antioxidant rich flours as potential alternative ingredients. Further sections focus on technological approaches to enhance the performance of specialty pasta including additives, modification of flours and processing techniques and quality management, plant project profile and cost analysis details. This text highlights every aspect of pasta science, technology and market control.