Lentil Fortified Spaghetti: Technological Properties and Nutritional Characterization.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Nutritional Science
• Food Technology

Background:

• Lentils (Lens culinaris) are recognized as functional dietary ingredients globally.
• They are a valuable source of essential nutrients, including amino acids, fiber, and polyphenols.
• Fortifying staple foods like spaghetti can enhance their nutritional profile.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize spaghetti fortified with lentil flours (40% w/w).
• To evaluate the impact of lentil fortification on sensory attributes and cooking properties.
• To investigate the effectiveness of carboxymethyl cellulose in improving the quality of lentil-fortified pasta.

Main Methods:

• Spaghetti was prepared using semolina fortified with two different lentil flours.
• Sensory attributes, cooking loss, swelling index, and water absorption were analyzed.
• Chemical composition, focusing on amino acid and fatty acid profiles, was determined before and after cooking.

Main Results:

• Lentil fortification significantly altered sensory attributes and cooking properties.
• The addition of carboxymethyl cellulose improved overall pasta quality, including sensory acceptability.
• Fortified spaghetti showed increased lysine and threonine content, along with higher essential and branched-chain amino acids.
• Despite fortification, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased due to cooking losses, even with carboxymethyl cellulose.

Conclusions:

• Spaghetti fortified with 40% lentil flour presents a nutritionally enhanced product.
• Carboxymethyl cellulose is a viable technological solution for improving the quality of lentil-fortified pasta.
• Further research may be needed to mitigate fatty acid losses during the cooking of fortified pasta.