Optimization of durum wheat bread from a selenium-rich cultivar fortified with bran.

In this work the effect of bran addition (5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %) on sensory, nutritional and mechanical properties of bread made from a durum wheat semolina enriched with selenium (cultivar PR22D89) was addressed; traditional and whole-meal bread from the same cultivar PR22D89, without any further bran addition, were also investigated for comparative purpose. In order to improve the durum wheat functional bread, different structuring agents (agar agar, gellan gum, guar seed flour, hydroxy-propyl-cellulose, modified food starch-CAPSUL® and tapioca starch) were firstly screened and then optimized. Sensory, textural and nutritional properties of bread were studied in each step. Results showed that bread from PR22D89 cultivar with addition of bran up to 30 % was completely accepted from the textural, nutritional and sensory points of view with proper utilization of guar seed flour or modified food-starch (2 %).

Optimization and characterization of gluten-free spaghetti enriched with chickpea flour.

This work was focused on the optimization and characterization of maize-based spaghetti fortified with chickpea flour. To the aim, the study has been organized in two subsequent trials. In the first one, the chickpea flour amount added to the spaghetti was continuously increased until the overall sensory quality of pasta reached its sensory threshold. Spaghetti samples loaded with 15% chickpea flour showed poor elasticity and increased firmness, so this concentration represented the highest chickpea flour concentration to be used. The second experimental step was aimed to improve the overall sensory quality of the enriched spaghetti by means of hydrocolloids as pectin, guar flour and agar. Final pasta was characterized for the nutritional composition, the glycemic response and the main quality attributes. The best results were obtained by the addition of guar flour.

Effect of durum wheat cultivars on physico-chemical and sensory properties of spaghetti.

BACKGROUND: Mixtures of different cultivars provide semolina with proper processing properties but not always good nutritional properties. In this study, the effects of mono-varietal cultivars of durum wheat on pasta quality were evaluated in order to find a good balance between nutritional and sensory properties of the final product. RESULTS: Durum wheat spaghetti was manufactured using semolina from six mono-varietal cultivars. A commercially available semolina mixture was also used to produce a control pasta sample. Instrumental (i.e. rheological and texture analysis), sensory (i.e. elasticity, firmness, adhesiveness) and nutritional (i.e. protein, ash and fibre content, glycaemic index) analyses were carried out. Results highlighted differences between selected cultivars. In particular, spaghetti obtained with Anco Marzio and Cappelli semolina (modern and old cultivars, respectively) showed the highest protein content and the lowest cooking loss, compared with the other samples. CONCLUSION: Spaghetti made with Cappelli semolina showed the lowest adhesiveness and the highest hardness; it recorded the best overall quality and presented the lowest glycaemic response. Hence, durum wheat pasta with a good balance between nutritional and cooking quality could be obtained from semolina based on mono-varietal cultivars. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of cultivar and process variables on dynamic-mechanical and sensorial behavior of value-added grape-based smoothies.

The effects of either cooking temperature (45, 80, and 100 °C) or inclusion of seed particles on the dynamic-mechanical and sensorial properties of value-added Crimson seedless, Black Pearl, or Baresana grape-based smoothies were studied. The inclusion of seed particles resulted in significant increases of the phenolic content, both in Black Pearl and Baresana, but it did not affect in a negative way the sensorial characteristics of smoothies whereas it caused an increase of the viscoelastic behavior of Black Pearl and a slight decrease in Baresana grape-based smoothies. In particular, the investigated rheological parameters were the loss and storage modulus. Moreover, the loss tangent value (the ratio between loss and storage modulus) remained unchanged, indicating a pseudoplastic behavior of all samples, independent on the process conditions. The smoothies produced from Crimson grapes at the intermediate temperature (80 °C) showed sensorial and rheological characteristics similar to those manufactured at 45 °C and better than those manufactured at 100 °C.

Formulation Optimization of Gluten-Free Functional Spaghetti Based on Maize Flour and Oat Bran Enriched in b-Glucans.

The aim of this work concerns the manufacturing process of gluten-free functional spaghetti based on maize flour and oat bran, enriched with b-glucans (22%). More specifically, the goal of the study was to obtain oat bran-loaded maize spaghetti with sensory properties close to unloaded pasta. To this aim, the study has been organized in two subsequent trials. In the first one, the oat bran amount added to spaghetti was continuously increased until the overall sensory quality of pasta reached the set sensory threshold (oat bran concentration = 20%). The second experimental step was aimed to improve the overall sensory quality of oat bran loaded maize spaghetti. In particular, an attempt was made to increase the sensory quality of spaghetti added with 20% oat bran by means of structuring agents. To this aim, the effects of different kinds of some hydrocolloids and egg white powder on the rheological properties of dough, as well as on quality attributes of pasta were examined. The rheological analysis showed that the addition of hydrocolloids and white egg to the dough enriched with 20% oat bran did not cause any substantial difference in the viscoelastic properties, compared to samples without any structuring agents. The best overall quality for both fresh and dry spaghetti was obtained by the addition of carboxymethylcellulose and chitosan at a concentration of 2%.