The protein-fortified spaghetti uses corn gluten meal to boost its potency from approximately eight grams of protein per two-ounce serving to approximately 10 grams, according to Y. Victor Wu, who led the research team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Peoria, Ill. The new spaghetti has good flavor and texture, according to eight trained taste testers and a panel of nine consumers who gave the product a forks-up, Wu said.
Normal spaghetti is made using durum wheat, although other types of wheat or cereals can also be used. The added processing steps would add slightly to the cost of spaghetti, but would also increase A and B vitamin content, Wu said. The properties of a new spaghetti would be useful to a number of people, he added.
There is increasing interest, especially among vegetarians and health-conscious people, for protein-enriched foods with no cholesterol and low saturated fat contents, he said. We think this may fulfill the demand for healthful food from plant sources.
The researchers developed a new processing method for the corn gluten meal, which is widely available as a by-product from milling corn, but has an unpleasant taste. Using water, carbon dioxide and ethanol, they were able to wash out the sour, yeasty flavor of unprocessed meal. The enriched spaghetti still has a slight taste of corn gluten meal that would likely not be noticeable when paired with sauce, Wu said.
Unacceptable taste or poor texture has complicated previous attempts to artificially add protein to spaghetti and other pastas, Wu said. Food manufacturers believe there is a market for protein-enhanced pasta, marked by some
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Contact: Beverly Hassell
b_hassell@acs.org
202-872-4065
American Chemical Society
13-Aug-2001