Evaluation of quallity parameter´s sensitivity on commercial spaghettis.

CRISTINA S. MARTÍNEZ; RIBOTTA, P. D.; LEÓN, A. E.

Córdoba

Congreso; Congreso Internacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos.; 2006

Agencia Córdoba Ciencia

Characteristics of pasta products, such as colour, cooking properties, texture, and taste are important factors affecting consumer acceptance and product quality. Although, sensory evaluation still remains the most reliable test to assess pasta quality, many objective methods have been developed in order to gain in simplicity and to avoid subjectivity inherent in the sensory process. Concurrently, among instrumental methods, it is necessary evaluate their ability to describe pasta quality. In this way, the objectives of this research were to estimate the ability of chemical analysis, cooking properties, sensory evaluation and instrumental texture analysis to be descriptive quality parameters, and to evaluate the association between sensory and instrumental measurements. Chemical parameters (moisture, protein and ash); cooking properties (optimal cooking time, OCT), cooking loss, water absorption and amylose in cooking water); colour of raw and cooked spaghettis (CIE-LAB); sensory attributes and cooked spaghetti texture analysis (spaghetti firmness, hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness and resilience and stickiness) were measured on five commercial spaghetti samples from two wheat varieties, (Durum wheat, Triticum turgidum L. var. durum, and var. aestivum). Results of chemical analysis and cooking properties showed significative differences between samples. Raw and cooked spaghetti colour values showed differences between samples. Concerning sensory attributes, except surface stickiness, all parameters differed significantly among the samples. Respect of cooked spaghetti texture analysis, firmness at OCT and at 50% and 100% more than OCT showed similar profile for each sample, simultaneously, two samples showed a particular resistance to over cooking. Hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, resilience, and spaghetti stickiness showed significative difference for all samples. Since instrumental analysis is much more simple and accessible technique than sensory evaluation, to obtain a good relationship between those parameters will be very useful. In this research was found excellent correlation between yellow color and b* value (r: 0.99**), sensory and instrumental firmness (r:0.92*) and elasticity and springiness (r: -0.49**). No significant correlation was found between sensory and instrumental chewiness and stickiness. The mean values of instrumental and sensory evaluations were subjected to Principal Components Analysis. The resulting first two dimensions accounted for 88% of the total variance, where first dimension explained 61%. As conclusion, chemical analysis, cooking properties, sensory evaluation and texture measurement were found to be sensitive as quality parameters. Also was found a significant relationship between sensory and instrumental measurements according to Pearson correlation and PCA.