Optimization of the formulation of gluten-free pasta enriched with dehydrated pumpkin pulp using the method of mix design

Abstract

Dehydrated pumpkin pulp (Cucurbita maxima) has been used to enrich gluten-free pasta due to its high nutritional content. However, there is a need for studies to identify the best formulation based on experimental optimization designs. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the quality of the gluten-free noodles of each developed treatment and use the design of simplex mixtures to obtain the optimal formulation. For this, in addition to dehydrated pumpkin pulp, we considered two other raw materials, rice flour and cornmeal. Response variables included proximal analysis (protein content, starch, ashes and dietary fiber), fracture stress, cooking quality, CIE_L*a*b* color, sensory acceptance and microstructure of dry noodles. We performed ANOVA analysis of variance and regression models (linear, quadratic, special cubic and complete cubic), which were used to explain each of the response variables, the most significant and highest being R² and R² Adjusted sensory adhesiveness, sensory chewiness and weight gain. Finally, the formulation that presented optimal values in these variables was 0.10 g of dehydrated pumpkin pulp/g flour; 0.3859 g of rice flour/g flour and 0.5141 g of cornmeal/g flour (predicted values).

Keywords:
Cucurbita maxima; Gluten-free flours; Regression; Adhesiveness; Chewiness; Weight gain