Sweet potato-based pasta product: optimization of ingredient levels using response surface methodology

Sweet potato flour was used for the development of a pasta product. The system known as response surface methodology was used to analyse the effect of sweet potato flour, soyflour, water, Arabic gum and carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) on quality responses (sensory, solids loss and hardness) of the pasta product. A rotatable centralcomposite design was used to develop models for the responses. Responses were affected most by changes in soyflour and gum levels and to a lesser extent by sweet potato flour and water levels. Individual contour plots of the different responses were superimposed and regions meeting the maximum sensory score (33.8), minimum solids loss (16.6%) and maximum texture hardness (5616 g) were identified at 674 g kg^-1 sweet potato flour, 195 g kg^-1 water, 110 g kg-1 soyflour, 10.6 g kg^-1 Arabic gum and 10.1 g kg^-1 CMC levels.