Development and Testing of Gluten-Free Pasta Based on Rice, Quinoa and Amaranth Flours

The goal of this study was to make high quality gluten-free pasta using amaranth, quinoa and rice flours, water and eggs using extrusion processing, and to compare these with gluten-free pasta already commercialized. The difficulty was to reproduce the texture provided by the gluten network without using gluten. To do that, an experimental design was created in order to make samples with different quantities of each grain, egg whites and water. Samples were manufactured and various tests (e.g., color analysis, water activity, cooking loss, texture, etc.) were carried out in order to find the best formulation, namely the formulation which was closest to Barilla or Andean dream gluten-free commercial pasta. With Rcommander software, results were analyzed and it was determined that the best pasta formulation was 10% amaranth flour, 40% quinoa flour, and 50% rice flour, with 18% eggs whites and 39% water. This optimal formulation was manufactured and subjected to sensory analysis with other commercial samples (Barilla, Andean Dream). Statistical analyses were conducted and it was shown that, even though this formulation did not quite achieve Barilla or Andean Dream pastas quality, it approached closely in some parameters. Indeed, 80% of consumers did not refuse to eat this pasta again, and with addition of tomato sauce, no differences were seen between the spaghettis. However, individual sample analysis did indicate that consumers did not appreciate the formulation’s sticky texture, thus this parameter would have to be reworked to achieve higher quality.