Application of Rheology in the Pasta Industry

Abstract

The use of rheological methods in the pasta industry is very much in its infancy. Few, if any, pasta manufacturers utilize quality assurance (QA) tests based on the rheological properties of the raw materials. Consequently, the manufacture of pasta remains more an art than a science. Large, highly automated production lines still rely on the expertise of the extruder operator to determine the proper water: semolina ratios. In contrast, cereal chemists have used the rheological properties of durum wheat for many years to evaluate the potential of durum wheat varieties for pasta production. Most of the rheological methods used have been adapted from those used in the baking industry. These methods use the mixograph, farinograph, extensigraph, alveograph, amylograph, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) sedimentation test. Many researchers have shown that, as is the case for bread wheats, gluten strength is an important factor in making high-quality pasta products from durum wheat. For this reason, there is good justification for the use of these methodologies. They have not proved to be entirely satisfactory for predicting the pasta-making potential of flour or semolina, however. The best test of the potential of a wheat flour or semolina for pasta production remains to actually make pasta.