Fresh Egg Pasta Research Articles

Influence of hydrothermal treatment on rheological and cooking characteristics of fresh egg pasta

The effect of D.I.C. processing conditions on rheological and cooking properties of commercial fresh egg pasta was studied. The mechanical properties of pasta before and after cooking were evaluated by empirical test and characterised by maximal apparent force ( F max) and apparent relaxation coefficient (ARC). Structural (apparent density) and cooking quality were evaluated by determining mass ratio (W/Wo), optimal cooking time (OCT), swelling index (SI), solid, soluble and total cooking losses (TCL) and compared to untreated pasta. The hydrothermal treatment caused a reduction in firmness and relaxation capacity of treated pasta. The increase of processing conditions induced a decrease of F max and the processing time has an influence when it is associated to the low pressures. The values of ARC vary from 51% (untreated pasta) to 37% (D.I.C. treated pasta). The increase of processing time from 30 to 60 s does not seem to have a significant influence on ARC. The apparent density of treated pasta is a function of processing pressure and time but it is always lower than untreated pasta density. Treated pasta had a higher quality score based on water sorption and SI and matter losses (TCL values and solid and soluble losses) as compared to untreated pasta.

Development of gluten-free fresh egg pasta analogues containing buckwheat

To improve the use of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), characterized by interesting nutritional properties, it could be used in pasta formulations. In particular, as buckwheat is devoid of the gluten-forming proteins, it might be an ingredient for celiac patient food. The aim of this study was to develop both fresh egg pastas integrated with buckwheat and fresh egg pasta analogues classifiable as gluten-free, based on buckwheat and rice flours. Matter loss in the cooking water and weight increase during cooking of buckwheat pasta were higher than those of a reference sample made of common wheat flour. As buckwheat integration increased, sample break strain was significantly lower, as a result of the progressive reduction in gluten content. In the production of gluten-free pasta analogues, wheat flour was substituted with rice flour, precooked rice flour or pregelatinized rice starch. Since samples containing precooked rice flour gave the best results, in terms of workability, break strain and weight increase during cooking, they were also produced on an industrial scale. Industrial gluten-free fresh egg pasta analogues were tougher and less deformable in comparison with the laboratory-produced samples. These results were determined by the presence of the double thermal pasteurisation treatment, which allows to obtain a better structure of the product, showing also a lower matter loss during cooking.

Role of pasteurisation heat treatments on rheological and protein structural characteristics of fresh egg pasta

The influence of egg pasteurisation and of thermal treatment(s) of fresh egg pasta on the protein network in the pasta were studied. Protein structural parameters were correlated with the physico-chemical and rheological characteristics of pasta. Twelve samples of fresh egg pasta were laboratory-produced, using raw or pasteurised whole egg, and either left untreated or submitted to one or two pasteurisation processes. Industrial pasteurisation of the eggs did not affect the protein network of pasta or its rheological and functional characteristics. Double thermal pasteurisation of egg pasta deeply influenced its structural characteristics, due to the formation of a tight protein network stabilised by disulfide bonds, in which ovalbumin plays an essential role. This tight protein network affected the cooking behaviour and the rheological properties of fresh egg pasta, decreasing weight increase upon cooking and break strain, while increasing break load and Young modulus. The indexes derived from these studies were applied to the characterisation of 24 commercial samples of fresh egg pasta. By using the Young modulus before and after cooking (rheological parameters) and protein solubility in buffer-saline (structural parameter), it was possible to discriminate three groups of samples as a function of the severity of their thermal treatment.

Study of the effect of lamination process on pasta by physical chemical determination and near infrared spectroscopy analysis

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical and physical characteristics of fresh egg pasta samples obtained by using two different production methodologies: extrusion and lamination. The results of the study demonstrate that products have different characteristics in terms of colour and level of gelatinization, while they do not show significant differences with regard to the amount of absorbed water during the cooking stage. It was evaluated that it is possible to discriminate the two kinds of products by using FT-NIR spectroscopy. FT-NIR analysis results suggest the presence of a different matrix–water association, a diverse level of starch gelatinization and a distinct starch–gluten interaction in the two kinds of pasteurised samples.

Potential applications of near infrared spectroscopy for evaluating thermal treatments of fresh egg pasta

A non-invasive near infrared technique has been used to identify changes in fresh unfilled egg pasta (tagliatelle, fettuccine and tagliolini) during thermal treatment. The treatment of fresh pasta was quantified in terms of time–temperature integrated indices, and F 70 10 values of each treatment calculated. Heat-treated pasta samples were scanned by reflectance spectroscopy. A calibration set of 67 samples and a validation set of 20 samples of fresh egg pasta was used. The calibration was carried out using the partial least square (PLS) model and combined all wavelengths in a range from 4000 to 10,000 cm −1. The model predicted F 70 10 values with an SEE of 0.16 and an r of 0.91. An NIR analysis can be used to rapidly monitor thermal processing parameters.

Hygienic quality evaluation of the egg product used as ingredient in fresh egg pasta

The aim of this study was to verify the applicability of egg product legal chemical indexes (3OH-butyric acid, succinic acid, lactic acid) and of uracil to fresh pasta, in order to evaluate the hygienic-sanitary quality of the egg ingredient. The analytical characterisation of 20 commercial fresh egg pasta samples and of several ingredients demonstrated that 3OH-butyric acid and uracil are able to highlight the use of egg products of poor hygienic-sanitary quality. For instance, the use of incubator reject eggs in the production of fresh egg pasta (at 20% egg) can be detected by a value of 3OH-butyric acid above 2.83 mg/kg d.m., combined with the presence of uracil. Uracil, which is absent in sound eggs and is not detectable in wheat products, represents a more reliable index for the evaluation of the hygienic quality of eggs in pasta, instead of succinic acid already present in the wheat ingredients.