Effect of Formulation and Dough Hydration Level on Extrusion, Physical and Cooked Qualities of Nontraditional Spaghetti

Abstract

The effects of formulation and dough hydration on extrusion, physical and cooking qualities of nontraditional spaghetti were determined. The formulations used for this experiment were semolina 100%, whole wheat 100%, semolinawhole wheat (49:51), semolina-flaxseed (90:10), whole wheat-flaxseed (90:10) and semolina-whole wheat-flaxseed (39:51:10). Flaxseed was incorporated as fine and coarse particles. Formulations were hydrated to 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34% before extrusion. Semolina required less pressure and mechanical energy during extrusion, had the brightest color, but had the poorest cooking quality when hydrated to 34% than to 30%. Inclusion of flaxseed flour in the formulation facilitated the extrusion process but decreased the flexibility, brightness, yellowness and cooked quality of the spaghetti. Better cooked quality was obtained for whole wheat spaghetti containing 49% semolina than for 100% whole wheat spaghetti. If both whole wheat and flaxseed flour are desired, then semolina-whole wheat-flaxseed (39:51:10) hydrated to 30-32% was the best formulation-hydration combination. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThis study provides useful information for those pasta manufacturers that want to include nontraditional ingredients in their pasta products.

Pasta-Making Process: A Narrative Review on the Relation between Process Variables and Pasta Quality

“…In particular, the presence of bran or oil seeds reduces SME values; in fact, the presence of lipids helps lubricate the dough on the extrusion screw. As the dough poses less resistance to extrusion, it forms spaghetti with a smaller diameter [36,39]. As reported by de la Peña et al [36], the diameter of spaghetti inversely affects the amount of material released into the cooking water.…”

“…The variables of the extrusion process (pressure, speed and SME) appear to be unrelated [43] or weakly correlated (r = 0.31-0.44) [36] to the diameter of spaghetti, suggesting that other factors are responsible for the determination of that characteristic. As previously discussed, in addition to hydration, the formulation also influences SME.…”

“…An overly hydrated dough, being less compact, would require a lower SME and would not pose sufficient resistance, inside the extrusion cylinder, to promote protein aggregation and therefore a satisfying formation of gluten [43]. On a macroscopic level, a low SME, as seen above, reduces the density of spaghetti [36,43]. Water unbound to proteins and other hydrophilic (macro)molecules would be in a free state, making it easier to evaporate during the subsequent drying phase; this phenomenon would reduce density.…”

“…De la Peña and Manthey [36] evaluated the effect of different levels of hydration (from 30 to 34%) on the extrusion properties of refined or wholemeal semolina (alone or in combination with flaxseed flour) and on the cooking behavior of the respective pasta samples. The results of this study showed that specific mechanical energy (SME) and extrusion pressure decrease as the level of hydration increases.…”

Flowability, wet agglomeration, and pasta processing properties of whole‐durum flour: Effect of direct single‐pass and multiple‐pass reconstituted milling systems

“…Bran particles have been reported to affect pasta extrusion (de la Peña & Manthey, 2017;de la Peña, Manthey, Patel, & Campanella, 2014). In the extrusion barrel, the screw rotates at a constant speed and pushes semolina dough forward and through the pasta die.…”