Trends in research on durum wheat and pasta, a bibliometric mapping approach

Abstract

Background and objectives Durum wheat semolina pasta is recognized worldwide for its sensory and nutritional qualities. The scientific research in this sector is constantly evolving both with studies on the improvement of the raw material and on the innovation of the processing plants, as well as with study on the nutritional and health value of pasta. The aim of this work is to analyze different aspects of durum wheat and pasta quality research, such as publication trends, research topics and their geographical distribution, using a science mapping approach mainly based on the application of network analysis tools. Findings Using the Scopus database from 1987 to 2018, the analysis shows an exponential increase in the number of scientific publications since 2004, linked to the realization of epidemiological studies and research on gluten‐free pasta. Cluster analysis has evidenced four main groups linked to genetics, agronomic, raw material and pasta quality, and then nutritional aspects. Italy and the U.S.A. were the countries with the most active knowledge production with 21% and 10% of the publications, respectively. Conclusions The study shows the main lines of research and their evolution during the years, highlighting a lower interest in genetic aspects in favor of topics related to health and nutritional quality. Significance and novelty Science mapping offers the possibility to gain insights upon a wide amount of bibliographic information, making them more manageable, attractive, and easy to serve science policy makers, stakeholders, and research managers.

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

“…Specifically, the latter seem to have gained more interest in recent years compared to topics related to genetics and breeding. Although the contribution of Cecchini et al [25] mapped the evolution of durum wheat and pasta quality research topics, it did not provide insights into either the relation between processing conditions and pasta quality or the recent advances in the pasta-making process, which are the objectives of the present review. Strategies and opportunities for producing functional pasta have been widely reviewed in the last ten years [11,18−23].…”

“…In a recent study, Cecchini et al [25] elaborated the results of a literature search through VOSviewer software using the Scopus database and the keywords "quality and pasta" and "quality and durum wheat". Compared to our search, our colleagues have, on the one hand, limited the search to pasta from durum wheat and, on the other, extended it to the quality of the raw materials.…”

Combining high‐protein ingredients from pseudocereals and legumes for the development of fresh high‐protein hybrid pasta: enhanced nutritional profile

“…While technological quality, and textural and sensory properties still represent the main topics of interest, nutrition and health aspects of pasta have gained increasing attention. This is in close relation to the evolving market potential of functional foods that have the ability to improve wellness and health of consumers 1 . According to Jenkins et al ., 2 there is a necessity to transition from diets with high nutrient density to diets with high nutritional density, particularly in the context of decreasing physical activity.…”

Capitalizing on a double crop: Recent advances in proso millet's transition to a food crop

“…The diameter and the dimensions of its label indicate the number of publications that have the corresponding term in their title, abstract, or keyword. Terms in a bubble of the same colors form a research area, as recently highlighted for another cereal, durum wheat (Cecchini, Menesatti, Antonucci, & Costa, 2020). Strongly correlated terms are close to each other and assigned to the same cluster by the software.…”