Quality characteristics and in vitro digestibility study of barley flour enriched ditalini pasta

• Quality parameters of 40% enriched Barley Flour-ditalini pasta were comparable to control pasta.
• During in vitro digestion, BF-ditalini markedly delayed the hydrolisys of the starch.
• Antioxidant capacity of digesta from BF-ditalini was significantly higher than control.
• β-glucans from BF partially contributed to antioxidant activity of digesta

A ditalini pasta with a mixture of durum wheat and β-glucan enriched barley flour (BF) (60/40%, w/w) was found to have a final content of 5% β-glucan (BF-ditalini). Main quality parameters of BF-ditalini, water uptake and starch-protein texture, were comparable with those of 100% durum wheat ditalini (control). After in vitro simulated intestinal digestion, the content of β-glucan in the post intestinal (PI) supernatant of BF-ditalini processed with its cooking water (soup) was six fold higher than that of pasta asciutta. BF-ditalini soup, but not pasta asciutta, strongly delayed the hydrolysis of the starch, without difference of viscosity between PI supernatant and control. PI supernatant from BF-ditalini showed total phenol content and antioxidant capacity significantly higher (p < 0.001) than control. In conclusion, ditalini pasta fortified with 40% BF may be considered a dietary product with high quality indexes and of functional interest for the abundance of antioxidant phenols, and for the hypoglicemic effect of β-glucan when ingested as a soup.