Influence of legume type and addition level on quality characteristics, texture and microstructure of enriched precooked pasta

This study evaluated selected properties of precooked pasta products enriched with white bean, yellow pea and lentil. Precooked spaghetti-type pasta was processed using a modified single-screw extrusion-cooker, TS-45 (Polish design), with L:D = 16:1 at a temperature range of 75-98 degrees C. The base raw material was common wheat flour enriched with different legume flour at the level of 10, 20, 30 and 40 g/100 g. Physical properties including the specific mechanical energy (SME), the expansion ratio, water holding capacity (WHC), cooking losses, water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), the hardness, color of dry pasta products and quality attributes of ready to eat reconstituted pasta, like hydration time, firmness, chewiness, color and sensory characteristics were evaluated. Microstructure of the surface and cross-section of the enriched pasta were examined with scanning electron microscope. Obtained results showed that precooked pasta products enriched with legume flour up to 30 g/100 g had very good physical and sensory properties, including the firm texture, and the compact internal structure. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.