Effect of matrix and particle type on rheological, textural and structural properties of broccoli pasta and noodles Original Research Article

Durum wheat semolina (DWS) pasta and sweet potato starch (SPS) noodles were incorporated with different volume fractions and types of broccoli powder (up to 20% v/v). The incorporation of high volume fractions of broccoli powder produced in-house in SPS noodles increases the modulus of the dough and the stiffness and strength of the noodles as these broccoli particles can swell to up to 7.6 times their original volume. This effect is smaller when commercially available broccoli powder is used, as this powder can only swell 2.6 times. These results are confirmed by CLSM images. The incorporation of the two types of broccoli powder in DWS shows little effect on the rheology of this system. Since there is no difference between the water binding capacity of SPS and DWS, the small effects on rheology observed in the DWS system are due to the strong gluten network that can prevent the broccoli particles from swelling.