Molecular rearrangements in extrusion processes for the production of amaranth-enriched, gluten-free rice pasta

• Published in: Food science & technology Vol. 47; no. 2; pp. 421 - 426
• Main Authors: Cabrera-Chávez, Francisco, Calderón de la Barca, Ana M., Islas-Rubio, Alma R., Marti, Alessandra, Marengo, Mauro, Pagani, Maria Ambrogina, Bonomi, Francesco, Iametti, Stefania
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Amaranth; Animal, plant, fungal and microbial proteins, edible seaweeds and food yeasts; Biological and medical sciences; Celiac consumers; Cereal and baking product industries; Extrusion-cooking; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gluten-free; Rice pasta; Gluten-free; P1; OCT; P2; P3; P4; DTNB; AF; P5; DTT; Extrusion-cooking; Amaranth; BU; RF; Rice pasta; Celiac consumers; GF; Heat treatment; Cooking; Consumer; Pseudocereals; Production; Plant protein; Molecular rearrangement; Cereal; Extrusion; Gluten; Rice
• ISSN: 0023-6438; 1096-1127
• DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2012.01.040

Gluten-free pasta represents a challenge for food technologists and nutritionists since gluten-free materials used in conventional formulations have poor functional and nutritional properties. A novel extrusion-cooking process was set up to improve the textural characteristics of rice-based pasta, and to enrich it with amaranth. Mineral and fiber content, and protein digestibility were improved by amaranth enrichment. Extrusion-cooking of a 75/25 mixture of rice flour and amaranth prior to pasta-making gave the best results as for the textural characteristics of the final product. The firmness of cooked pasta increased due to the extrusion-cooking process, that also decreased protein solubility in the amaranth-enriched pasta. The content in accessible thiols also decreased in amaranth-enriched pastas, indicating that amaranth proteins may be involved in forming disulphide bonds during the pasta-making process. Our results suggest that starch in rice flour interacts best with amaranth proteins when starch gelatinization occurs simultaneously to protein denaturation in the extrusion-cooking process. ► Amaranth-enriched rice-based pasta had improved nutrient content and digestibility. ► Extrusion-cooking of mixtures of rice/amaranth flours (75/25) gave good quality pasta. ► Simultaneous starch gelatinization/protein denaturation positively affected quality.