The aim of the present study was to characterize the structure of two different types of pasta, namely Triticum turgidum ssp. durum (cv. Saragolla) and Triticum monococcum ssp. monococcum (cv. Monlis), under different processing conditions. MRI analysis and NMR spectroscopy (i.e., T1 and T2 NMR relaxation times and diffusion parameters) were conducted on pasta, and (1)H NMR spectroscopic analysis of the chemical compounds released by pasta samples during the cooking process was performed. In addition, starch digestibility (enzimatically determined) was also investigated. The NMR results indicated that Saragolla pasta has a more compact structure, ascribed to pasta network and in particular to different technological gluten properties, that mainly determine the lower ability of Monlis pasta in binding water. These results correlate well with the lower rate of starch hydrolysis measured for Monlis pasta compared to Saragolla when both are dried at high temperature.
Keywords: 1H NMR spectroscopy; MRI; T1/T2 relaxation times; diffusion; in vitro starch digestibility; pasta microstructure.