A Meta-Analysis of Enriched Pasta: What Are the Effects of Enrichment and Process Specifications on the Quality Attributes of Pasta?

Pasta products enriched with ingredients to improve their nutritional value or functionality have become increasingly popular, and substantial research efforts have been directed towards the development of new enriched pasta products. In this work, a meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the impact of enrichment and process specifications on the quality attributes of pasta. A literature search revealed 66 studies on enriched pasta. Process specifications and quality attributes, namely proximate composition, dough, drying, cooking, and mechanical properties, color, and sensory attributes, were extracted from the studies and compiled in a data set. Analysis of the data set revealed significant differences between pasta enriched with high-fiber ingredients and pasta enriched with pulse flour. High-fiber ingredients generally preserved the quality attributes of pasta more effectively than pulse flour. Comparisons based on the drying temperature showed that high drying temperatures generally improve the cooking properties of enriched pasta. Sensory evaluations indicated that enrichment levels below 10% generally do not affect consumer acceptance, but higher enrichment levels significantly decrease it. Pearson correlation coefficients showed that the gelatinization temperature and Farinograph properties are useful indicators of the mechanical properties and sensory attributes of pasta. The meta-analysis revealed the need to better understand the impact of the processing history of the enrichment ingredient on the quality attributes and the health benefits of enriched pasta.