333 Effects of enzymes in pasta and noodle production.

JOAN QI SI and Cornelia Lustenberger. Novo Nordisk Ferment Ltd., Neumatt, CH-4243 Dittingen, Switzerland.

Pasta and noodles are food staples in many countries worldwide. The quality of pasta and noodles is strongly dependent on the quality of the raw materials. When pasta is made from non-durum wheat flour, the product may result in rigid pasta texture when dried, and too soft and sticky texture after cooking. Overcooking often results in overly sticky product where starch leaches into the cooking water. The application of enzymes and enzyme combinations in pasta and noodle production brings a new possibility of improving the quality of noodle and pasta products based on wheat flour. Studies have been done to investigate the effect of enzymes like amylase, hemicellulase, lipase added to pasta as well as noodle production. Rheological properties such as breaking behavior, stickiness and further parameters were measured in cooked and uncooked products. The addition of enzymes may improve the quality of noodles or pasta made from non-durum wheat. The cooking behavior of pasta and noodle products and the tolerance to overcooking may further be improved by adding enzymes.