Assessment of techno-functional and sensory attributes of tiger nut fresh egg tagliatelle

• A notable enhancement of fiber and mineral contents may be achieved in tiger nut pasta.
• Tiger nut fiber and lipids altered water–solid interactions leading to a weaker and less cohesive pasta structure.
• The overall acceptability of tiger nut pasta depends more on visual and textural characteristics than on taste.
• Initial water absorption rate during cooking was similar on the control and tiger nut pasta.

This work aims to evaluate the effect of tiger nut flour -TNF- (rich in insoluble fiber, minerals and lipids of healthy fatty acid profile) incorporation on the techno-functional and sensory attributes of durum wheat fresh egg tagliatelle. Durum wheat semolina was replaced by 10, 20 and 30% (w/w) of TNF and the resultant tiger nut tagliatelles were compared to traditional pasta (100% durum semolina). The maximum substitution level was chosen in order to obtain tagliatelle with fair techno-functional properties and acceptable sensory quality. In addition, the 30% substitution level assures a product with more than 3% of fiber content. The cooking properties, texture, colour attributes, sensory profile and water uptake kinetics of tagliatelle were evaluated. The proximate chemical composition and particle size distribution of raw materials was assessed as well. The higher cooking loss, water absorption ratios and swelling indexes associated with higher substitution levels of TNF resulted in a darker and stickier product, with a lower firmness, hardness and cohesive structure. The overall acceptability of tiger nut pasta depends more on visual and textural characteristics than on taste. No significant changes on the initial water absorption rate during cooking were observed between the control and tiger nut pasta.