The ability to extract water the semolina takes at the production of pasta is very important in terms of final product quality. At the analyzes made with devices that have the ability to increase and reduce temperature, the ability of the semolina to extract its water at the cooling stage after baking is tested and the hardness of the pasta can be estimated.

As it is known, semolina is used in many areas and it is the raw material of pasta and the second most important product for the flour manufactures. The fact that the semolina is a secondary product in the flour industrialization and it has a standard structure in pasta sector has kept it away from the quality controls it deserves. Especially, due to the increase of production diversity in the pasta sector thanks to the developing technology and the fact that different behaviors in the seasonal variety of the durum wheat which is used in semolina production led the R&D and quality control units to pay more attention to semolina quality and to develop products.

 The physical criteria is of utmost importance at the first glance as the semolina is a product of the milling sector and is generally a product that is separated from the flour as a different dimension of a grinding process. So far, only the physical properties have been studied at the quality control of the semolina structure and the chemical / technological properties have been deemed as of secondary importance. Of course, physical properties are of great importance and there are several analyzes available. The most important of these is the semolina efficiency indicator of the raw material, namely the wheat. Instead of the semolina purifiers used in the past, nowadays there are some special design semolina mills. Laboratory type mills that provide 65-70% semolina and have different-sized sieves of 160-250-900 μ give information about how suitable the wheat used is for the production of semolina. In addition, samples are provided for other chemical and technological analyzes to be made on semolina. In addition to the durum wheat used today for pasta production, this issue, which is extremely important in terms of the classification and quality determination of wheat of hard structure used to support the production has been among the quality criteria for the producers for a long time.

 The main issue that determines the physical structure of the semolina is the hardness of the wheat. The starch/protein ratio of wheat generally determines the hardness of the wheat. The Cross Section Tool that is the oldest method used to determine this feature which classifies the wheat as “glassy” or “floury” in the sector, is based on cutting 100 grains of wheat and examining them with naked eyes whether they are glassy or floury. In addition to this accepted method, the hardness analyzers have been developed that eliminate the human factor and are based on a complete rational analysis. This system, called Single Kernel Characterization System, is a standardized reference method with AACC 55-31 number. With this system, each grain is crushed physically and the pressure applied during crushing is measured and the wheat is classified in terms of its hardness. In addition to the hardness classification, other physical properties such as moisture and grain diameter of the wheat are determined and obtained as graphical and numerical values by the operators. The hardness unit can be determined by this method or by the Particle Size Index. With these methods, it is possible to determine how hard the wheat is, and therefore the yield of the semolina.

 This value can also be transferred through the latest technology as a calibration to the NIR instruments and it is possible to carry out these analyzes in about 1 minute. Moreover, the fact that the grain which is of utmost significance in the purchase of raw material, is neither glassy nor floury (rotating grain) can be measured with NIR devices. This is referred to as “grain size determination” in the sector and plays a determining role in the purchase and sale.

 As noted at the beginning of this paper, as well as these physical characteristics, the developing product variety and competitive environment have led manufacturers to advance and explore deeper features. In this context, the first studied issue is the protein quality of the semolina, namely the structure of the gluten. The protein structure, which has a direct effect on the quality of the end product, can be measured precisely and accurately with standardized devices. Furthermore, rheological examination is the most useful method for examining the success of the water-holding capacity of the semolina and its behavior after the water combination. This method, widely used today, is especially preferred by large volume plants. In particular, the ability to extract water from pasta at the end of production is very important in terms of end product quality.

 Within the scope of the latest developments in the semolina and pasta sectors, as well as the protein-based studies, starch-based studies have started to be employed at the flour sector. Especially the damaged starch feature plays a decisive role in the quality of the semolina and thus the pasta. The mentioned quality is related to the allurement or the sensory properties of the end product rather than the nutritional content or the behavior of the product. The amount of damaged starch plays a decisive role in the color of semolina. Semolina color can be measured with colorimetric or NIR instruments. The units that are important in semolina color are L (whiteness) and b (yellowness). The special section between the two values enables the yield of the most suitable semolina. Although the amount of damaged starch analysis was initially designed for flour quality control, the end product analyzes have shown that it plays an active role in the color quality of the end product. There is a widespread view that this information which is still too fresh may be widely used in the future.