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Modeling of Water Sorption Kinetics in Spaghetti During Overcooking

¹Institute of Composite Materials Technology, National Research Council, P.le Tecchio, 80-80125 Naples, Italy. ²Corresponding author. E-mail: delnobil@unina.it ³Department of Food Science, University of Naples “Federico II,” Parco Gussone I-80055 Portici, Italy.

The organoleptic changes of pasta during overcooking are strongly related to the rate at which water molecules penetrate the pasta matrix once the optimal cooking conditions are reached. A model to describe water sorption kinetics during the overcooking stage is presented. The model has been developed assuming that overcooking starts once the central core disappears and that during this stage sorption kinetics are governed by the pasta matrix relaxation rate. To validate the model, water sorption tests were performed at 10–100°C. A good agreement between the model predictions and the experimental data was obtained. Based on these results, the main matrix relaxation time can be used to compare behavior during overcooking of pastas with different compositional and technological variables.