Development and Characterisation of Pasta Enriched with Carrot Powder

Pasta is a staple food and is a typical commodity worldwide. However, some people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance cannot consume pasta formulated with wheat flour. This work aimed to develop and characterise pasta samples made from wheat and buckwheat flours fortified with carrot powder at concentrations of 5% and 10%. The developed pasta samples were analysed for drying and hydration characteristics, for cooking properties, pasting properties, colour, texture, and sensory attributes. The results showed that the wheat-based pastas had better hydration and cooking properties, and that the gluten-free pastas were less cohesive. Concerning hardness, the addition of carrot powder produced opposite results for the wheat- and the buckwheat-based pastas. The gluten-free samples had higher pasting temperatures and peak viscosities and were also darker; however, lightness, redness, and yellowness increased with the addition of carrot powder. The gluten-free pastas were richer in terms of nutrients, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds due to the presence of buckwheat instead of wheat flour, and the increased addition of carrot powder also contributed to the increase in these nutrients. The sensory evaluation revealed that judges preferred the wheat-based pasta samples over the buckwheat counterparts, and the addition of carrot powder at the highest percentage significantly improved the sensorial assessment. In conclusion, the pasta samples formulated have high nutritional importance, and sensorial acceptance was increased with the addition of carrot powder.