pasta that meets the high microbiological standards required by
legislation and to produce a mould-free shelf life of up to 14 days.
The addition of XG and GG at 2 different concentrations resulted in
some important differences in parameters related to dough
rheology and shelf life under refrigerated conditions. GG was
associated with less microbial growth during storage, but with a
more pronounced loss of water from the dough with respect to XG;
this led to the development of cracks on the dough surface of GG
samples, thus reducing their shelf life to 7 days, while XG supplemented
fresh filled pasta retained its dough integrity for up to 14
days. These differences can be ascribed to the rheology of dough;
GG-supplemented dough was firmer and less elastic compared
with the XG-supplemented dough. Moreover, the XG supplemented
pasta inhibited an increase in L and Z indices during storage.
The use of both hydrocolloids strongly reduced the percentage
of oil absorbed during frying, with less oil being absorbed at the
higher concentrations compared with control samples. No sensory
differences were detected between the 4 GF formulations, but, as
expected, judges preferred the control sample made with semolina
flour. In conclusion, pasteurization of GF fresh filled pasta containing
XG as a structuring agent permitted a refrigerated shelf life
of 14 days.