The addition of egg to food pasta can be effected using fresh, frozen or dehydrated egg, the fresh form being indicated in the literature as the most appropriate form. However, the real advantage of the fresh form over the dehydrated form is not clear. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of using fresh pasteurized liquid egg with that of using dehydrated egg, on the quality of rigatoni type short pasta. Nine formulations of dry pasta were evaluated, one being the control, with no addition of egg, 4 with different proportions of pasteurized liquid egg (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) and 4 with dehydrated egg in the proportions corresponding to those used for the liquid egg (1.19%, 2.38%, 3.57% and 4.76%). The pastas obtained were evaluated with respect to their cooking characteristics (AACC 66-15, 2000), texture (TA-XT2i) and color (Minolta). Using sensory tests, the firmness and flavor of the different samples were evaluated, as also the acceptability of the control sample and of those with different amounts of egg. Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that, under the conditions used in these tests, it was possible to produce similar products with either of the two commercialized forms of egg studied. In this way, the various advantages of dehydrated egg over liquid egg (ease of transport, storage at room temperature, reduced volume, longer shelf life, ease of mixing with wheat flour) could be used without detriment to the final product.
pasta; egg; cooking quality; texture
