Improvement of the texture and quality of cooked gluten-free pasta

•Egg protein and water content affected the quality and texture of gluten-free pasta.•Rheological properties were mainly controlled by dough moisture.•Composition was optimized using desirability criteria based on texture and quality.•Optimized pasta was prepared and the predicted behavior was experimentally validated.

The effects of egg-proteins and water content on viscoelastic and quality properties of cooked gluten-free pasta were analyzed. Cooking properties included the determination of optimum cooking time (OCT = 10 min), water absorption, cooking loss, and total organic matter. Cutting force and texture profile parameters were also evaluated. Springiness, resilience, and adhesiveness were mainly controlled by the egg-protein content in the dough, while cooked pasta hardness and the plateau modulus were negatively correlated with dough moisture. The obtained results were mathematically modeled, and a multiresponse optimization process was performed using individual desirability functions based on target properties of wheat flour pasta. These functions were combined into a single composite response (global desirability) to determine the precise amount of the different components in the formulation to obtain high quality gluten-free cooked pasta. Optimized dough was prepared, cooked, and the predicted properties were experimentally validated.