Most common materials for dies are nowadays resilient plastics such as polyamides (Nylon®) or Teflon®. Shape and dimensions of pasta will also depend on cutter’s speed at the outfeed end of the die. Different incisions are present in the die depending on desired pasta. A limit to this rule is however reserved for dough with the addition of eggs, which should never exceed a temperature of 30-33☌ or even less if the time of formation of the dough exceeds 12-15 minutes.ĭough extrusion: pasta dough formed in the kneader is then driven by the extrusion screw towards the head of the press, and forced through a die whose characteristics strongly affect the appearance of pasta surface. Hot water (40-60☌) is instead recommended for short pasta with a big diameter, long non-pierced and thin pasta (spaghetti and spaghetti of reduced diameter), and in the production of nests of egg pasta (e.g. Cold water is recommended in pierced long pasta to prevent the product peeling where it comes into contact with the supporting stick, and also in fine and tiny short pasta to prevent the cutting surface from turning white. ![]() The choice water temperature is also important, and related to many other variables: semolina’s temperature, its particle size (fine or coarse), mixing time required by the type of kneader, presence of vacuum, shape/speed of the blades, final pasta shape, extruder and die kinds, type of drying, etc. Also water temperature is an important factor: opinions are many and discordant on this point. In any case, dough with a moisture of 33-34% in the forming tank is the normal standard for short pasta, while the moisture is normally ca. In addition, dough moisture affects the colour of the cutting surface, which must be taken into account, in particular for pasta shapes in which the cutting surface (at the die outfeed) is equal or even superior to the rest (for example in tiny pasta). For short pasta, on the contrary, dough can be moister. spaghetti) destined to be spread on sticks, the dough will have to be less humid, to prevent pasta collapsing or excessively lengthening as it suffers the effects of its gravitational weight. The amount of water added to the semolina is in relation to the percentage of moisture required for the final pasta shape: for the long shapes (e.g. If the needs of all flour components are not satisfied, there will be an initial condition of a water imbalance in the formation of the dough which will be hard to rebalance along the kneading. Additionally, they require less water to reach the correct level of wetting. When wet, each of these granules has a specific behaviour: the smaller granules absorb water faster than those with a larger diameter. ![]() Durum wheat semolina is composed of granules of different shape and size, so with a different ratio between their mass (weight) and their outside surface area. It is important that water is evenly distributed into the dough, to be well absorbed by starch granules and allow proper gluten net formation, which will give pasta its structure. Also the action of hydrolytic enzymes (amylase, protease) can play a role on dough characteristics. ![]() Furthermore, without atmospheric air the flour granules can be hydrated more quickly and thoroughly. Most mixers (kneaders) operate under vacuum to limit oxygen presence and its oxidative effects on dough lipid fraction, and to limit the englobation of small bubbles into the dough, detrimental for final pasta structure. ![]() The two main step of pasta production before drying are dough mixing and dough extrusion.ĭough mixing: flour (usually durum wheat semolina) is mixed with water, which is absorbed by flour components, in particular starch and gluten proteins. In recent years, pasta made with other ingredients or fortified with beneficial substances is on the rise: among this category the most popular products are whole grain pasta (with high fibre content) and gluten-free pasta (made from corn or rice flours).įigure 1 – Geographic distribution of the 13.1 million tonnes of pasta produced worldwide. In egg pasta, flour is mixed with eggs instead of water, and flattened into thin layers to prepare various traditional pasta shapes. Pasta is generally made from an unleavened dough of durum wheat ( Triticum turgidum) or from flour of other grains and cereals, simply mixed with water. The European Union area is the main producer worldwide (see Figure 1), with Italy being the Country with both the biggest production (over 3 million tonnes in 2011) and the biggest consumption (26 kg per capita/year) of pasta. Across many Countries around the World, pasta is an appreciated staple food.
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