Healthy pasta production using inulin from cardoon: first results of sensory evaluation

Pasta is considered among the foods with low glycemic index, providing satiety and exerting beneficial effects on patients affected by obesity, diabetes and altered lipid metabolism. Few studies document the changes that affected food products due to the inclusion of alternatives fiber, such as inulins. Inulin is a carbohydrate built up from ? (2, 1)-linked fructosyl residues and it is a non-digestible carbohydrate. The physico-chemical properties are linked to the degree of polymerisation (DP). Considering the inulin inclusion could alterate the sensory characteristics of the produced pasta, beside the reohological, chemical and nutraceutical evaluation of the new obtained products, it is necessary to evaluate the level of satisfaction of consumers. The aim of this work is to produce pasta added with high DP inulin for diabetics. Inulin with different DP was extracted from the roots of Cynara cardunculus line CDL (DP 80 fructose units) collected I) in the experimental field of Assoro (EN) in two-year-old crops during flowering, and II) at Barrafranca in October 2014 in oneyear- old crop. Commercial inulin (DP = 25 fructose units) from Chicory intibus was purchased. Flour of Sicilian durum wheat, 'Senatore Cappelli' and 'Russello' cultivars, were added by 2% w/w of the three types of inulin to obtain the pasta. Pasta without inulin was produced. Fresh-extruded and dry spaghetti samples were submitted to a panel of 15 trained tasters in order to evaluate the sensorial attributes. The study showed that the addition of long chain inulin improves the overall quality in cooked spaghetti produced with the 'Russello' cultivar as compared to the control. The effect of the environment of cultivation of wild cardoon to produce inulin was not significant, while interaction between DP and durum wheat cultivar was observed.