Effects of Microwave Drying on Lipid Oxidation of Stuffed Pasta

The aim of this work was to evaluate and compare the effects of conventional (hot air) and microwave drying on the lipid oxidation of stuffed pasta. Experiments were carried out on the pasta type ravioli dried by conventional and microwave treatments. Peroxide values and induction times were evaluated for the oil extracted from the stuffing. Peroxide values of the lipid extracts for the samples dried by conventional drying and microwave drying were similar (P-level = 0.51) and less than threshold acceptable value (25 mequiv O₂/kg oil). The use of microwave processing could be a remarkable energy saving measure as well as a way of lowering production costs without compromising product quality.