Ingredient composition and pasta:water cooking ratio affect cooking properties of nontraditional spaghetti

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different pasta:water ratios and nontraditional ingredients on the cooking properties of spaghetti. Spaghetti was made using semolina and semolina containing 20% (w/w) nontraditional (NT) ingredients (corn, flaxseed, lentil, oat, pinto bean and soybean flours). Pasta:water ratios evaluated were 13 g:400 mL, 27 g:400 mL and 48 g:400 mL. Addition of pasta caused a decline in cooking water temperature. The water temperature drop and recovery time to boiling (100 °C) varied with pasta:water ratio and with nontraditional ingredient in the spaghetti. These results were attributed to the calculated specific heat capacity of the ingredients incorporated in the spaghetti. Cooking time was reduced for all NT spaghetti with respect to the control sample and was longest when 48 g of pasta was cooked. Pasta:water ratio affected cooking loss but not cooked weight or cooked firmness. Cooking losses were greater with 13 g:400 mL compared to 48 g:400 mL.