Plant Proteins in Pasta Decrease Strength, Alter Texture, Study Finds
The study looked at how adding vegetable protein concentrates like hemp, flax, peanut, and pumpkin to durum wheat flour affects making pasta. Adding 15% peanut concentrate increased gluten, while other concentrates decreased it. Water absorption in the dough increased with plant protein concentrates. Adding 20% protein concentrates made the raw pasta weaker by around 20-40%. The pasta made with protein concentrates was softer than regular pasta. This method can help choose ingredients and process parameters to make pasta with specific textures.