Pasta with cholesterol-lowering effect on human health

This work was carried out in three years, from November 2015 to October 2018, as PhD research in "Health food innovation and management", of the University of Foggia. The work was conducted at CNR-ISAFOM in Catania. The topic, approved from the college, was related with the production of new types of pasta with cholesterol lowering effect, based on the use of commercial durum wheat flour and the addition of typical wild species of purslane, Sicilian populations of lentil, cladodes of prickly pear and oat flour. Trial 1 regarded the production and the sensorial and chemical evaluation of spaghetti of commercial durum wheat flour with the addition of commercial and Sicilian population of Ragusa lentil; however the use of food additives (CMC and GUAR) was studied to improve sensorial results. Trial 2 concerned the evaluation of pasta produced using wholemeal flour "Senatore Cappelli" or commercial durum wheat flour with the addition of cladodes of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill) Sicilian populations at different concentrations (5% and 10% w/w). Food additives (Agar and CMC) were used to improve sensorial and nutraceutical characteristics. The aim of trial 3 was the assessment of chemical composition of three purslane populations under different Mediterranean environmental conditions, for future valorization as novel food sources of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidant activity. The evaluations were conducted over two years. In Trial 4 fresh pasta samples with commercial durum wheat and purslane collected in three different areas of Sicily were produced and evaluated. Each of these three populations of purslane was added at three different concentrations (5%, 10% and 15% w/w). Regarding trial 5, the aims were: the extraction and evaluation of ?-glucans in oat (Avena sativa L., variety named Genziana) and the production and evaluation of fresh pasta samples produced with the use of commercial durum wheat and oat flour at four different concentrations (5%, 10%, 20% and 40% w/w).