Abstract:
Consumer awareness and commercial demand for healthy foods is increasing
nowadays. And, also there is a good potential for pasta with higher nutritional value
in Sri Lanka. The aim of this study was to formulate nutritionally improved pasta
compared to the regular durum wheat pasta (Triticum durum) using chickpea flour
(Cicer arietinum). The product was formulated by changing the percentages of
chickpea and durum wheat flour to obtain pasta with the highest chickpea proportion
along with optimum organoleptic and cooking quality. Evaluation of powder
characteristics for both flours showed that there were significant differences (P<0.05),
and chickpea flour had lower bulk (365.88±3.89 kgm-3) and tapped density
(652.33±12.41 kgm-3). Nine-point hedonic scale test and cooking quality test
identified the most preferred formulation of pasta and it was 95% chickpea flour and
5% corn flour added pasta. The cooking quality test revealed that formulated chickpea
pasta had a lower optimum cooking time (8.83±0.3 min) with a significant difference
(p<0.05), while higher values obtained for cooking loss (7.95±0.59%), swelling index
(2.86±0.08), increase in volume (272.77±0.47%) and a significant difference was
observed in each of these qualities (p<0.05). The proximate result of chickpea pasta
was moisture (9.43±0.06%), crude fat (8.35±0.27%), crude protein (21.73±1.57%),
ash (1.52±0.01%) and carbohydrate (49.36±1.42%). Moreover, these values (except
carbohydrate) are higher than durum wheat pasta, and it showed a significant
difference (p<0.05). Crude protein and crude fiber content in chickpea pasta are 1.5
and 3 times higher compared to durum wheat pasta, respectively. Texture profile
analysis results showed that there were no significant differences (p>0.05) in
hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness. Greater colour
change (ΔE*) was observed in chickpea pasta (9.09) due to cooking than in durum
wheat pasta (3.03). Storage study revealed that no yeast and mould count and lower
total plate count (less than the detection limit) were observed during the 6-week
period. And changes in moisture content were also in acceptable level during this
study period. Accordingly, the final product has high nutritional significance than the
regular durum wheat pasta.
