Effects of gluten powder on the quality of wheat flour spaghetti cooked in distilled or salted water

To improve the quality of spaghetti produced from low protein wheat flour, gluten powder was added at 0.5, 1.5 and 3% (w/w). These samples were cooked in distilled or salted water (2% NaCl). The results showed that addition of gluten reduced cooking loss and increased water absorption. These parameters increased further when salt was added to the cooking water. With increasing the gluten powder, the color of the dried and cooked samples became darker and more yellow. Addition of salt reduced the lightness, while it increased the yellowness of the samples. Increasing the gluten level decreased the adhesiveness, while it increased the cohesiveness, elasticity and breaking strength of the cooked samples. A positive correlation between adhesiveness and cooking loss was found (R2=0.94) while other textural parameters had negative correlation with cooking loss (R2=0.99). According to the taste panel, a sample containing 3% gluten powder cooked in salted water was recognized as the best. Practical Applications: This study shows an easy and applicable method of improving the quality of pasta made from low protein wheat flour using gluten powder. Different aspects of pasta quality including cooking, textural and sensory attributes were considered in this study. Hence, the findings may be useful for pasta producers in some parts of the world where ordinary wheat flour is the most available type of flour for pasta production.