Abstract:In the last decade, the nutritional and health benefits of Opuntia (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) were discussed by academic scientists and private companies. In particular, the introduction of this substance in frequently consumed foods, like, for example, pasta and bakery products, could have a wide diffusion due to its rich composition in polyphenols, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and amino acids. The identified natural cactus compounds are responsible for biologically relevant activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, and neuro-protective properties. The aim of this paper is the evaluation of the best combination of Opuntia quantity and process parameters (recipe) for the production of sustainable functional pasta. The results obtained show that the new functional pasta guarantees the presence of the Opuntia quantity necessary to be considered a healthy food without altering the organoleptic and physical properties of the final product. An important indicator of a sustainable food product is its capacity to contribute to public health while maintaining a high quality of the final product. The selection of the optimal recipe was carried out by means of a multi-criteria decision-making procedure, ELECTRE III. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the stability of the obtained solutions varying the ELECTRE III thresholds, showing that the results obtained are stable under uncertain conditions. Food productions are often affected by qualitative judgments in terms of physical and organoleptic properties of the final product, making the ELECTRE III particularly suitable in an industrial application in which different points of view are involved.

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Pasta is a staple food of the Mediterranean Diet, and it is traditionally made of durum wheat semolina. In Sicily, durum wheat production and its transformation into semolina, bread, and pasta are well-developed economic sectors. For pasta, there is a wide supply of commercial brands, whether coming from conventional industrial manufacturing or from medium to small and local handcrafted production. Both conventional durum wheat and local durum wheat landraces, such as Timilia and Russello, are used for pasta production, but local landraces are, for the most, transformed into handcrafted pasta. The market of local landraces durum wheat pasta has risen in recent decades, in Sicily and in Italy as well, boosted by a perceived high nutritional and healthy value of these wheat derivatives. In particular, a popular and scientifically unproven idea suggests that a reduced glycemic response might be elicited by these pasta landraces. Therefore, to test this hypothesis, the main objective of the present study was the evaluation of the glycemic index (GI) of four samples of Timilia and Russello handcrafted pasta and two samples of conventional durum wheat pasta. The study enrolled fourteen healthy weight male and female volunteers aged from 18 to 46; eight test sessions were performed twice a week, every session testing a pasta sample (six sessions) or the glucose solution chosen as reference food (two sessions). The standard methodology for GI measurement was followed during each step of the study. The six tested pasta samples were characterized regarding their composition (protein, fiber, and starch content) and their whole production processes (milling method and milling diagram of flour or semolina, drying temperature, and diagram of pasta shape). The six tested pasta samples showed GI values ranging from low (34.1) to intermediate (63.1). Timilia and Russello pasta are the first GI calculations available. The two samples made of conventional grains showed lower values of GI (34.1 and 37.8). The results do not support the popular idea of a reduced glycemic response elicited by Timilia and Russello wheat landrace pasta; the tested samples showed GI values in the range of 56.2 to 63.1. However, some consideration should be made of factors other than wheat varieties and related to production processes that may have affected the final GIs of the pastas. Even if the study is not designed to discriminate among factors related to wheat varieties or processes used to produce different pasta, it is a preliminary step in the characterization of the healthy potential of the local wheat landraces, popularly called ancient grain. A future implementation of the local wheat landraces supply chain should pay attention to all the factors above, from a better seed identity certification to the production process in order to further improve the healthy value of these staples of the Mediterranean Diet.

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The main hypothesis of this work is that facultative and obligate heterofermentative Lactobacillus species can differently impact the final characteristics of pizza. The objective was to evaluate separately the behavior of the facultative heterofermentative species (FHS), such as Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, Lactobacillu brevis, and Lactobacillus rossiae, and to obligate the heterofermentative species (OHS), including Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus graminis, and Lactobacillus curvatus, in the sourdoughs to be used for pizza production. The production of the experimental pizzas was carried out with semolina (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum). The acidification process, followed by pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) development indicated for all of the experimental trials kinetics is comparable to those of the controls. The fermentation quotient of the FHS trial was particularly higher than that of the other trials, including the control production performed with a sourdough inoculum used in an artisanal bakery. The dominance of the added strains indicated the clear persistence of L. sanfranciscensis PON 100336, L. brevis 200571, and L. plantarum PON 100148 in the obligate–facultative heterofermentative species (OFHS) trial. The pizzas were baked without seasoning in order to investigate weight loss, color, morphology, and a generation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The data showed the differences among trials regarding the inocula. Eight classes of VOCs were detected in the pizza samples with aldehydes, esters, alcohols, and acids as major compounds. The sensory attributes were significantly different for the judges and the pizzas. The multivariate statistical approach found marked differences among the trials. The results indicated that the application of mixed cultures of the facultative heterofermentative species of Lactobacillus determined high quality pizzas.