Molecular features and cooking behavior of pasta from pulses

Andrea Bresciani,Stefania Iametti,Alberto Barbiroli,Alessandra Marti,Davide Emide

doi:10.1002/cche.10490

Abstract

AbstractBackground and objectivesPulse pasta is one of the latest responses of the food industry to meet the consumers request for healthy and sustainable foods. Among pulses, red lentils and chickpeas are the preferred raw materials for making 100% pulse pasta. This study aimed at addressing starch and protein features in commercial pulse pasta to provide an insight on how their molecular organization may affect cooking behavior.FindingsDifferences in starch pasting profile and in protein overall organization were found among commercial pasta samples. Considering the same pulse, the best performing pasta showed a protein network characterized by a more compact structure. Regardless of the producer, lentils gave pasta with the best cooking behavior (low cooking loss and high firmness).ConclusionsCooking quality of pulse pasta depends on both the type of pulse (chickpeas or red lentils) and pasta‐making process.Significance and noveltyThis study lays some molecular groundwork as for elucidating the role of individual pulses and of the pasta‐making process in determining the quality of pulse pasta.

Highlights

The production of 100% pulse pasta represents the most recent innovation in the pasta industry in response to the consumer request for healthy and sustainable food products (Lascialfari et al, 2019; Tucci et al, 2021)
Pasta from 100% lentils, beans, green peas, and chickpeas is currently available on the market; and differences in nutritional traits and cooking behavior have been reported for a few commercial products (Turco et al, 2019)
Data will be discussed focusing on the comparison between pasta samples prepared by two companies (A and B), rather than on the comparison between pasta samples made from different pulses

Summary

Introduction

The production of 100% pulse pasta represents the most recent innovation in the pasta industry in response to the consumer request for healthy and sustainable food products (Lascialfari et al, 2019; Tucci et al, 2021). Pasta from 100% lentils, beans, green peas, and chickpeas is currently available on the market; and differences in nutritional traits and cooking behavior have been reported for a few commercial products (Turco et al, 2019). Such differences are related to differences in raw materials and in processing conditions, as both are known to drive the molecular rearrangements affecting the quality of pasta from both wheat (Bock et al, 2015; Bonomi et al, 2012) and gluten-free cereals (Barbiroli et al, 2013; Marti et al, 2010). Significance and novelty: This study lays some molecular groundwork as for elucidating the role of individual pulses and of the pasta-making process in determining the quality of pulse pasta

Objectives

Results

Conclusion