Influence of protein content on spaghetti cooking quality

Water sorption tests on three different types of laboratory-made spaghettis were conducted at 100 °C to study the influence of protein content on hydration kinetics during cooking and overcooking and on quality characteristics. In particular, the weight, diameter and length of spaghetti strands were monitored over a 20 min period. The different hydration behaviours of the spaghettis were analyzed using a mathematical model that quantitatively resolved the hydration process into the controlling factors (i.e. water diffusion, macromolecular matrix relaxation kinetics, and 'residual deformation' release kinetics). Only small differences were observed within the range of protein contents (12.7-15.5%) investigated. In particular, spaghetti stickiness decreased as protein content increased. Moreover, samples with intermediate protein contents showed the highest water diffusion coefficients.