Asmaa Basha
Ekmekçilik Sektörü
Biyoteknoloji Uzmanı
Novonesis
Eda Kapar
Ekmekçilik Sektörü
Biyoteknoloji Laboratuvar Teknisyeni
Novonesis
“At Novonesis, it is well understood that the pasta industry encounters various challenges when striving to achieve the desired quality of the finished product. These challenges may stem from various factors, including issues related to the production process or inconsistencies and shortcomings in the quality of the raw materials used.”
Pasta is one of the most popular foods in the world. Pasta is a good source of carbs! Pasta is easy to mass produce, transport, could be stored for long, and considered cheap! Pasta could act as a good base for many different dishes and flavors. We can say the reasons behind the popularity and widespread consumption of pasta are mainly; “Nutritional value, Convenience, and Versatility”.
“Durum Semolina” (Triticum durum) considered to be the ideal raw material to produce pasta due to its High protein and Gluten % - This high protein content - contributes to the strength and elasticity of the dough, allowing it to hold its shape better during the pasta-making process. Additionally, semolina obtained from durum wheat imparts a bright yellow color and desired firmness to pasta products. These characteristics are especially preferred in traditional Italian pasta.
With Flour Optimization, Sustainable Pasta Production is Possible!
However, the ideal quality to produce pasta is from Durum wheat, in some countries like Egypt there is an economical approach to replace Durum wheat (Triticum Durum) with Common wheat (Triticum aestivum) in producing pasta. The reasons behind this replacement are mainly price, and the soft yet firm texture preferred by consumers. Common Wheat (Bread Flour) is usually cheaper than Durum wheat, which makes it an attractive raw material for production due to its availability and low cost compared to Durum wheat – Example Table (1).
Table (1) - Durum Vs. Common Wheat prices in Turkish Market
Main challenges faced by pasta producers and Enzymes role...
Trends towards using Common wheat for pasta production in some countries require enzymatic enhancement to improve: Flour quality, pasta production, texture, and cooking challenges.
The question here is what these challenges are and how Novonesis could support!
Figure 1. Common Pasta challenges.
Mainly the reasons behind pasta challenges (Figure1.) are:
- Low Gluten content/quality.
- Weak dough.
- Improper milling/production process.
As Novonesis Baking Biotechnology Specialist, Gonca Çelik has been discussed in our last article, which was published in May, 2024;
“With enzymatic solutions, it is possible to achieve pasta with equivalent textural properties to those made with durum wheat, even in a 100% flour-based production.”
Novonesis BioSolutions help pasta and noodle producers overcome the challenges of varying wheat flour quality, so their products consistently meet consumers’ expectations.
At Novonesis, it is well understood that the pasta industry encounters various challenges when striving to achieve the desired quality of the finished product. These challenges may stem from various factors, including issues related to the production process or inconsistencies and shortcomings in the quality of the raw materials used.
As a result, ensuring standard product quality can be a difficult process, so attention needs to be paid to both the production methods employed and the sourcing and processing of raw materials.
With Novonesis biosolutions, it is aimed to optimize the raw material quality and support the production process for soft wheat flour and durum wheat flour-soft wheat flour mixtures. Novonesis aims to address certain problems, such as improving the quality of wheat flour-based dry pasta by improving the firmness and improving the cracks seen in the challenges of pasta picture (Figure 1) as the Al-Dante pasta structure in dry pasta with durum semolina.
Figure 2. Breaking strength and flexibility measurement on texture analyzer for dry pastas based on Durum semolina, Wheat Flour and Novonesis biosolution, respectively.
Seen in figure 2., Novonesis biosolution may approach the durum semolina based dry pasta quality with improving breaking strength and flexibility.
I n pasta production, sensory analysis is crucial for evaluating its overall quality and appeal. It helps to interpret how flavors and textures are perceived when consuming the pasta. Texture analysis complements sensory evaluation by providing objective data on these physical properties such as firmness and stickiness. Together, these analyses complement each other in that the pasta meets both sensory properties and technical standards.
Figure 3. A. Dried short-cut pasta
samples including Novonesis biosolution
against non-enzymatic solution.
B. Cooked short-cut pasta samples including Novonesis biosolution against non-enzymatic solution.
C.Cooked spagetthi pasta samples including Novonesis biosolution against non-enzymatic solution.
When sensory and textural analyses are consistent, the quality of the pasta is comprehensively assessed, and a more satisfactory product is obtained. Among sensory parameters, the key criteria sought by producers include firmness, low or negligible stickiness, brightness, and surface smoothness in cooked pasta, as well as reduced breakage and cracking in dried pasta.
Novonesis is always seeking the customer needs, therefore, better smoothness in dried short-cut pasta, brighter surface and minimal or negligible stickiness in cooked pasta surfaces is clearly observed while non-enzymatic samples and Novonesis biosolution are compared in Figure 3.
Consequently, reaching a higher level of firmness quality and lower level of stickiness on the surface of wheat based cooked pasta and better eating quality of pastas are the Novonesis aims!
Please reach out to your preferred flour and/or developer partner to learn more about our biosolutions!
Scan QR code for more about Novonesis pasta biosolutions: 
Enzymes for pasta and noodle formulation | Novozymes