Cooking Quality of PastaPasta products, as sold, could be described as ‘uncooked’, ‘partially cooked’, or fully cooked’, depending on the degree of which the protein is denatured and the starch gelatinized.
Traditionally, pasta products are prepared in an uncooked state, because dry, uncooked pasta can be stored at room temperature for long period while maintaining its highly glutinous properties.
Particle size of semolina is an important characteristics: it is recommended that at least 90% of the particles should fall between 150 um and 340 um in size.
Particles larger than 340 um impeded the activity of enzymes in the dough. Good quality of the pasta may be defined as the ability of the proteins to form an insoluble network capable of entrapping swollen and gelatinized starch granules, and is thus related to the composition of the protein.
In uncooked pasta, the protein is largely undenatured, and most of the starch is ungelatinized. The processing conditions of dough moisture content an extrusion temperature were carefully controlled to prevent protein denaturation and starch gelatinization.
Cooking Quality of Pasta
