Enrichment of vegan gluten-free pasta with basil seeds: Cooking quality, nutritional and antioxidant properties.

The germinated clove basil (Ocimum gratissimum) and sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) seeds being a potent source of dietary fibre, minerals and antioxidants are utilized as functional ingredients for the enrichment of gluten-free pasta. The germinated clove basil seed and sweet basil seed incorporated pastas with acceptable sensory scores were developed by substituting 30% and 15% of gluten-free flour respectively. Basil seed pastas exhibited lesser cooking time (7-8 min), cooking loss (6%) and similar texture as that of control. The clove basil seed pasta exhibited better cooking quality, nutritional and antioxidant properties than the sweet basil seed pasta due to higher level of basil seed flour substitution. Consumption of one serving of clove basil seed pasta (75 g) could meet the dietary fibre (49%, 58%), protein (15%, 17%), magnesium (18%, 21%), phosphorus (22%, 22%), manganese (28%, 28%) and copper (28%, 28%) daily requirements of sedentary adult men and women, respectively.

Physical quality of gluten-free doughs and fresh pasta made of amaranth.

Pasta is one of the most consumed foods in the world. Therefore, the development and investigation of the quality parameters of fresh gluten-free pasta made from amaranth was the subject of this study. For this purpose, different doughs (amaranth flour: water 1:2, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8, 1:10) were heat-treated and sodium alginate (1.0 and 1.5%) was added. The pasta was produced by extrusion into a 0.1 M calcium L-lactate pentahydrate-containing bath. Both the dough and the pasta were examined. The doughs for its viscosity properties, water content, and color and the pasta for its firmness, color, water content, water absorption, cooking loss, and swelling index. The pasta was cooked for 5, 10, and 15 min for the cooking quality study. A higher alginate content of 1.5% and a higher proportion of amaranth flour resulted in a significant difference in color, water content, and shear-dependent viscosity of the dough (p < .001). It was also found that both doughs with amaranth flour-water content of 1:2 and 1:10 had significant effects on processing properties and pasta quality, especially on firmness, swelling index, and cooking loss. For the doughs with a 1:2 ratio, the high flour content resulted in very soft pasta, and for the doughs with a 1:10 ratio, the high-water content resulted in very firm pasta with a smooth, watery surface. Overall, cooking loss, swelling index, and water absorption were low for the pasta with 1.5% alginate. Even with cooking times of 15 min, the pasta retained its shape.

Assessment of Nutritional Value and Maillard Reaction in Different Gluten-Free Pasta.

Evaluating the nutritional quality and thermal damage effects of gluten-free foods is essential to ensure that people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease can safely meet their needs. In this work, fifteen different commercial gluten-free pasta samples made from cereals, pseudocereals, and pulses, alone or in mixed combinations, were analyzed to assess their nutritional value, essential amino acids composition, and protein chemical score. The occurrence of the Maillard reaction was investigated, and the levels of heat treatment markers (furosine, maltulose, hydroxymethylfurfural, and glucosylisomaltol) were determined. Analysis of the furosine values showed that pasta made with the same raw materials can have different degrees of thermal damage. There was no evidence of the Maillard reaction progressing in the advanced phase in any of the samples tested. Finally, the correlation between maltulose and furosine levels demonstrated the usefulness of combining the two markers to assess the extent of thermal damage.

The effect of chickpea flour and its addition levels on quality and in vitro starch digestibility of corn-rice-based gluten-free pasta.

Development of gluten-free (GF) pasta with improved nutritional attributes is one of the main trends in the gluten-free pasta industry. Considerable interest lays in introducing legume-based ingredients into traditional corn/rice GF formulations. This work aims to fortify multi-cereal (corn-rice) GF pasta with chickpea to investigate how different chickpea addition levels affect its quality and in vitro starch digestibility. Chickpea significantly increased pasta protein and dietary fibre contents to a level that supports the "source" or "high" fibre/protein content claims. Chickpea addition induced darkening, softening, adhesiveness decrease and solid loss reduction compared to the control. In addition, chickpea substitution significantly modified the in vitro starch digestion, which showed increasing resistant starch and decreasing slowly digestible starch contents suggesting potential mitigation of postprandial glucose response in vivo. Reformulating GF pasta with chickpea flour should, therefore, be considered as an effective tool to improve the corn-rice-based GF products' nutritional profile.

Effects of long-term frozen storage on the quality and acceptance of gluten-free cassava pasta.

Cold storage conditions during long-term periods can be critical for the quality of gluten-free products. The objective of this work was to elaborate gluten-free pasta using cassava starch and study the influence of different storage conditions on the textural and sensorial properties of gluten-pasta compared to regular pasta. Samples were initially frozen at two different temperatures, -50 °C and -150 °C, and then stored for six months at -25 °C. Physicochemical and rheological analyses were used to characterize the pasta dough. Then microbiological, instrumental texture, and sensorial analysis were used to further characterize the pasta throughout the cold storage period of 6 months. The gluten-free pasta's nutritional composition showed low fat and protein content and high crude fiber, carbohydrates, and energy value content in relation to the gluten-containing pasta. Both kinds of pasta dough presented a pseudoplastic behavior; however, the wheat flour pasta presented lower apparent viscosity. The texture profile of frozen pasta during the evaluation period did not significantly vary when comparing the two freezing temperatures. Although the firmness, chewability, and cohesiveness parameters slightly decreased during the storage, losses of firmness were not detected by the judges at the sensorial analysis. Finally, cassava starch pasta had a high acceptance. According to the purchase intention research, the judges routinely consume gluten-free pasta, showing the high commercialization potential of the obtained product.

Effects of mixing, sheeting, and cooking on the starch, protein, and water structures of durum wheat semolina and chickpea flour pasta.

The influence of the pasta preparation stages on starch, proteins, and water structures of semolina and chickpea pasta was studied. The hydrated starch structures (995/1022 FTIR ratio) increased in semolina and reduced in chickpea pasta. The processing stages in semolina pasta led to a significant increase of ß-sheet structures (~50% to ~68%). The ß-sheet structures content in chickpea pasta was lower (~52%), and was most affected by sheeting and cooking. The water structure was assessed by the analysis of the OH fingerprint FTIR region (3700-2800 cm-1) and showing that water molecules (~90%) are strongly and moderately bound. The chickpea pasta displayed the highest content of strongly bonded water (about 55%) in contrast to the semolina pasta (~48%). A principal component analysis showed that the molecular organization of semolina pasta was mostly affected by dough formation and cooking; the molecular organization of chickpea pasta was determined by the cooking stage.

Mycotoxin Occurrence and Risk Assessment in Gluten-Free Pasta through UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS.

Celiac disease (CD) is a genetic-based autoimmune disorder which is characterized by inflammation in the small intestinal mucosa due to the intolerance to gluten. Celiac people should consume products without gluten, which are elaborated mainly with maize or other cereals. Contamination of cereals with mycotoxins, such as fumonisins (FBs) and aflatoxins (AFs) is frequently reported worldwide. Therefore, food ingestion is the main source of mycotoxin exposure. A new analytical method was developed and validated for simultaneous analysis of 21 mycotoxins in gluten-free pasta, commonly consumed by celiac population as an alternative to conventional pasta. Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS) was used for analyte separation and detection. The mycotoxins included in this work were those widely reported to occur in cereal samples, namely, ochratoxin-A (OTA), aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2), zearalenone (ZON), deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol and 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-AcDON and 15-AcDON, respectively), nivalenol (NIV), neosolaniol (NEO), fusarenone-X, (FUS-X), T-2 toxin (T-2) and HT-2 toxin (HT-2), fumonisin B1 and B2 (FB1 and FB2, respectively), enniatins (ENN A, ENN A1, ENN B and ENN B1) and beauvericin (BEA). The validated method was successfully applied to 84 gluten-free pasta samples collected from several local markets of Campania region (Italy) during September to November 2020 to monitor the occurrence of mycotoxins and to assess the exposure to these food contaminants. A significant number of samples (95%) showed mycotoxin contamination, being Fusarium mycotoxins (FB1, ZON and DON) the most commonly detected ones. Regarding the risk assessment, the higher exposures were obtained for NIV, DON and FB1 for children and teenagers age group which can be explained due to their lower body weight.

Effects of Red Rice or Buckwheat Addition on Nutritional, Technological, and Sensory Quality of Potato-Based Pasta.

This work investigates the effects of red rice (R) or buckwheat (B) flour addition on nutritional, technological, and sensory quality of potato-based pasta (gnocchi). Three gluten-free (GF) and three conventional (C) samples were produced in an industrial line without any addition or with 20% R or B. R and B addition significantly (p < 0.05) reduced starch content and increased fat amount and ready digestible starch fraction (potential higher glycemic impact). R addition significantly (p < 0.05) worsened GF pasta structure, increasing solid loss in cooking water (5.4 ± 1.2 vs. 4.1 ± 0.5 g/100 g pasta) and reducing product firmness (408 ± 13 vs. 108 ± 2 N). B addition resulted in intermediate consistency (243 ± 8 N), despite the highest total fiber content and weight increase during cooking. Similar trends were found in C samples, indicating a better texturizing capacity of B in comparison to R. Samples without any addition were the most liked (C = 67.4 and GF = 60.6). Texture was the major contributor to liking: uniform structure and firm texture were positive predictors of liking, whereas a granular and coarse matrix contributed negatively. The outcomes of this research can be useful in developing GF potato-based pasta for consumers focused on healthier foods and for industries willing to better valorize their products.

Changes in protein structural characteristics upon processing of gluten-free millet pasta.

Proso millet exhibits favorable agronomic and nutritional properties but is currently under-utilized in the northern hemisphere. This study compared processing-induced changes in protein characteristics of commercial pasta to fresh gluten-free pasta from proso millet varieties differing in prolamin profile. Protein solubility, accessible thiols and secondary structures were measured in dough, sheeted and cooked pasta. Relationships between protein conformation and characteristics related to pasta quality were determined. Cooking significantly lowered protein solubility and induced exposure of thiol groups as well as a shift in secondary structure distribution, while sheeting only had a minor effect. Random structures positively and significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with solubility, cooking loss and protein digestibility. In contrast, ß-sheets, the main secondary structure in cooked pasta, negatively correlated with these properties. The utilization of proso millet in gluten-free pasta is promising, however, processing optimization to elicit targeted protein modifications to balance quality and nutritional attributes requires further investigation.

Phenolic Compounds and Bioaccessibility Thereof in Functional Pasta.

Consumption of food products rich in phenolic compounds has been associated to reduced risk of chronic disease onset. Daily consumed cereal-based products, such as bread and pasta, are not carriers of phenolic compounds, since they are produced with refined flour or semolina. Novel formulations of pasta have been thus proposed, in order to obtain functional products contributing to the increase in phenolic compound dietary intake. This paper aims to review the strategies used so far to formulate functional pasta, both gluten-containing and gluten-free, and compare their effect on phenolic compound content, and bioaccessibility and bioavailability thereof. It emerged that whole grain, legume and composite flours are the main substituents of durum wheat semolina in the formulation of functional pasta. Plant by-products from industrial food wastes have been also used as functional ingredients. In addition, pre-processing technologies on raw materials such as sprouting, or the modulation of extrusion/extrusion-cooking conditions, are valuable approaches to increase phenolic content in pasta. Few studies on phenolic compound bioaccessibility and bioavailability in pasta have been performed so far; however, they contribute to evaluating the usefulness of strategies used in the formulation of functional pasta.

Opuntia Fruits as Food Enriching Ingredient, the First Step towards New Functional Food Products.

Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill.) is a rich source of vitamins C, B1, B2, A, and E, minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus, as well as bioactive substances, i.e., carotenoids, betalains, and phenolic compounds. Of these, the phenolic acids, betalains, and flavonoids are notable in that they are largely responsible for the health-promoting properties of this plant. The purpose of the presented research was to first determine the antioxidant properties and the content of polyphenolic compounds (including individual phenolic acids) in prickly pear fruit, then to produce an innovative gluten-free pasta from rice-field bean flour enriched with various amounts of pear prickly fruit. The content of free phenolic acids, the sum of polyphenols and antioxidant properties of pasta were subsequently determined in the supplemented pasta. Chromatographic analysis (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) showed a wide variety of phenolic acids. In the fruit sample, 14 acids were detected, whereas in the pasta sample without additives, 9. The dominant acid was isoferulic. The total content of free phenolic acids and the sum of polyphenols increased with increasing content of the functional additive. Moreover, the content of individual acids generally increased as the Opuntia fruit was added. The antioxidant activity was also positively correlated with the addition of fruit, with the content of free phenolic acids and the sum of polyphenols. Our research has shown that our innovative pasta with the addition of prickly fruit can become a source of the free phenolic acids indispensable for human health.

Rice-Buckwheat Gluten-Free Pasta: Effect of Processing Parameters on Quality Characteristics and Optimization of Extrusion-Cooking Process.

A new type of gluten-free pasta has been developed based on a rice-buckwheat mixture. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of process parameters of moisture content (30, 33, and 36%), barrel temperature (80, 100, and 120 °C), and screw speed (60, 80, and 100 rpm) on cooking and textural properties of rice-buckwheat pasta produced by a single-screw extrusion-cooker. The process uses response surface methodology based on a Box-Behnken experimental design. Results showed that with regard to this rice-buckwheat pasta, raising moisture content of the raw materials increased cooking loss and stickiness, but decreased firmness, while increasing barrel temperature reduced cooking loss and stickiness, but increased hardness and firmness. Screw speed increase also affected positively hardness and firmness of the obtained products. Thus, optimal conditions (moisture content 30%, barrel temperature 120 °C, and screw speed 80 rpm) were established to produce good quality rice-buckwheat pasta. At this optimum, the pasta showed a compact and homogeneous inside microstructure. Furthermore, the pasta products exhibited low cooking loss (less than 6%), good hardness and firmness, with low stickiness and acceptable scores for all sensory attributes and for overall quality.

Quality Indicators and Heat Damage of Dried and Cooked Gluten Free Spaghetti.

The quality and safety indicators of commercial dried gluten free (GF) pasta were analyzed to investigate, for the first time, the real nutritional intake through the chemical composition and the heat damage during processing by quantification of furosine. Eight samples of GF spaghetti were compared with wheat spaghetti. Dried and cooked GF pasta had lower protein and ash content than wheat spaghetti. GF samples composed solely by corn flour had higher optimal cooking time. Samples with emulsifier showed lower losses during cooking. Considering their composition, no trend could be established to explain textural behavior. Samples constituted merely by corn showed the highest resilience and elasticity. Spaghetti constituted only from corn and rice showed the highest firmness. The furosine content in dried samples ranged between 19 and 134 mg FUR/100 g proteins and in cooked samples ranged between 48 to 360 mg FUR/100 g proteins. Furosine content of GF pasta was in general lower than in wheat pasta, and those differences were even enlarged when comparing them after cooking. The results of PCA indicated it was possible to discriminate GF pasta regarding their technological and nutritional behavior.

Gluten-Free Products: From Dietary Necessity to Premium Price Extraction Tool.

Every year, the Italian National Health Service (NHS) provides about 200,000 celiac people (based on 2017 data) living in Italy with financial support of about 250 million euro to cover the cost of their specific dietary constrains. The existence of gluten-free products of high quality and affordable price is very important for the quality of life of celiac people and the sustainability of public support. Over the last decade, the market for gluten-free products has experienced a dramatic surge, with an increasing shelf space dedicated to these products in supermarkets, and a large variety of products both in terms of kind of agricultural inputs and processing and packaging methods. This study aimed at assessing the offer of gluten-free (GF) pasta in Italian supermarkets, with respect to its ability to meet the needs of celiac people in terms of variety, prices and safety. A hedonic price analysis was performed. Results indicated that GF pasta is sold only in 44% of the 212 stores of the sample, with a price equal to more than twice that of conventional pasta. A premium price was found for the following attributes: small packages, brands specialized in GF products, content in fiber and the presence of quinoa as ingredient.

Content of Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of New Gluten-Free Pasta with the Addition of Chestnut Flour.

Chestnut fruit abounds in carbohydrates, proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, fiber, polyphenolic compounds, as well as vitamins and micronutrients, that are behind the health-promoting properties of this plant. The purpose of the discussed research was to obtain innovative gluten-free pasta from rice and field bean flour enriched with a various addition of chestnut flour. Regarding the studied pasta, the following were determined: the content of free phenolic acids, total polyphenols, and antioxidant properties. Chromatographic analysis (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS (high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry)) revealed a wide variety of phenolic acids. In a sample with 20% and higher content of chestnut flour, as many as 13 acids were detected. Isoferulic acid prevailed. The total content of free phenolic acids and total polyphenols increased along with the increasing chestnut content. Moreover, in most cases, the content of individual acids increased with the addition of chestnut flour. Besides, the antioxidant activity was positively correlated with the addition of chestnut fruit flour, the content of free phenolic acids, and total polyphenols. Our research has demonstrated that our innovative gluten-free pasta, with the addition of chestnut flour, has a potential to be a source of polyphenolic compounds, including free phenolic acids, that are valuable for human health.

The Impact of Processing Parameters on the Content of Phenolic Compounds in New Gluten-Free Precooked Buckwheat Pasta.

Buckwheat is a generous source of phenolic compounds, vitamins and essential amino acids. This paper discusses the procedure of obtaining innovative gluten-free, precooked pastas from roasted buckwheat grains flour, a fertile source of natural antioxidants, among them, phenolic acids. The authors also determined the effect of the extruder screw speed and the level of moisture content in the raw material on the quantity of free phenolic acids. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of phenolic acids in pasta was carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The chromatographic method was validated. For extracts with the highest total content of free phenolic acids and unprocessed flour from roasted buckwheat grain, the TLC-DPPH test was also performed to determine the antioxidant properties of the tested pasta. The level of moisture in the raw material had an impact on the content of phenolic acids. All pastas made from buckwheat flour moistened up to 32% exhibited a higher total content of free phenolic acids than other mixes moistened to 30 and 34% of water.

Development of a Breadfruit Flour Pasta Product.

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is grown throughout the tropics. Processing the perishable starchy fruit into flour provides a means to expand the use of the fruit. The flour can be used to develop new value-added products for local use and potential export. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a pasta product using breadfruit flour, test the sensory qualities of the breadfruit pasta product by sensory evaluation, and evaluate the nutritional composition. 'Ma'afala', a popular and widely distributed Polynesian cultivar was used for the study. Nutritional labeling shows that the breadfruit pasta product is high in carbohydrates (73.3%/100 g) and low in fat (8.33/100 g). Sensory evaluation indicates that 80.3% of the panelists (n = 71) found the pasta acceptable while 18.3% disliked the pasta. The breadfruit pasta product can provide a nutritious, appealing and inexpensive gluten-free food source based on locally available breadfruit in areas of the world where it can be easily grown.

Gluten-free sorghum pasta: starch digestibility and antioxidant capacity compared with commercial products.

BACKGROUND: The development of new products with a focus on nutrition, rather than other technical aspects, is essential to improve the quality of celiac diets. Nutritional attributes of white and brown sorghum gluten-free pasta developed in a previous work were analyzed. The extent and kinetics of starch in vitro digestion, estimated glycemic index (eGI), potentially bioaccessible and dialyzable polyphenols, and antioxidant activity were evaluated and compared with commercial products. RESULTS: Sorghum flour samples were used to obtain pasta with high protein (≈170 g kg-1 ), dietary fiber (≈80 g kg-1 ), polyphenols (2.6 g GA kg-1 pasta), and antioxidant activity. This sorghum pasta showed slower starch in vitro digestion than the other gluten-free pasta, with a high level of protein hydrolysis (76%). The highest eGI was observed in a rice sample (69.8) followed by a corn-based pasta (66.4). White and brown sorghum gluten-free pasta showed 2.9 and 2.4 times, respectively, higher potentially bioaccessible polyphenol content compared to that in cooked pasta. No significant variation in antioxidant activity was found in sorghum pasta after digestion and around 48% and 36% of activity was detected in dialysate. CONCLUSION: Both types of sorghum gluten-free pasta have demonstrated their nutritional value and represent a good potential alternative to current commercial pasta. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of processing conditions on water mobility and cooking quality of gluten-free pasta. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging study.

A new approach for producing gluten-free pasta from hydrated (50 °C, 20 min) rice kernels, skipping the grinding step, was explored. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was used to study the hydration kinetics of rice, by monitoring the time evolution of both proton density and water transverse-relaxation rate during water diffusion. Results showed that the optimal water diffusion was reached after 180 min, allowing the extrusion of hydrated rice kernels into pasta. MRI analysis also highlighted in cooked pasta gradients of water distribution and mobility, in agreement with the high shear force that was measured using the Kramer cell (1066.5 vs 896.4 N). The high hydration in the external layers of pasta did not negatively affect the cooking quality (cooking loss, compression energy, firmness) of the product. MRI analysis provided experimental evidence for the optimization of early steps in the technological process of grains for the production of gluten-free pasta.

Enriching gluten-free rice pasta with soybean and sweet potato flours.

The development of innovative rice products is a way to exploiting and adding value to low-grade African rice varieties. To this purpose, rice-based pasta was enriched with flours from soybean and orange-fleshed sweet potato, that are common ingredients in the African tradition. Four different formulations based on pre-gelatinized rice flour and liquid egg albumen, and containing soybean and/or sweet potato (up to 20%) were prepared and characterized via a multidisciplinary approach. Soybean and sweet potato enrichment leads to a decrease in the pasta consistency and in significant changes in the color of the resulting samples, likely due to Maillard-type reactions. E-sensing approaches indicated that the sensory profile of the various pasta products strongly depends on the type of enrichment. Data collected after cooking suggest that both soybean and sweet potato have a role in defining the firmness and water absorption, as well as the optimum cooking time. Structural characterization of proteins in the uncooked products indicates the presence of protein aggregates stabilized by hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bonds in all samples, although structural properties of the aggregates related to specific compositional traits.