Introduction
Many sources indicate that pasta originated
in China and that the explorer Marco Polo was
the first to report its existence. In Italy, the
widespread use of handmade and industrial
pastas undoubtedly began in Naples in the early
18th century, when production of pasta changed
from manual to mechanical. The use and mix of
best quality durum wheat, Triticum durum Desf.,
combined with unrelenting technological
research have in time decreed the global success
of pasta and Italian pasta manufacturers.
Production and consumption have received a
boost from the technological advancement of
machines designed to increase productivity and
reduce costs.
Italy is at the top of the world league table for
the production and consumption of pasta.
According to data gathered by the Unione
Industriale Pastai Italiani (UNIPI, 2005), global