Protein enriched pasta from debittered moringa oleifera seed flour.

Pasta is a staple food in many countries. Pasta products are higher in starch but less
in protein and dietary fiber. To improve the nutritional quality of pasta, T. durum flour was
blended with debittered moringa seed flour (10%, 20% and 30%) in the pasta formulations.
The extruded pasta products were evaluated for quality characteristics such as cooking
quality, colour, texture, farinograph and micro-visco amylograph. The proximate analysis
indicates that the Durum pasta had the highest overall quality compared to substituted
blended samples but the protein content and dietary fiber is high in blended samples. The
durum pasta showed cooking loss (4.326) when compared to debittered moringa seed flour
(10%, 20% and 30%) in the pasta formulations are about 5.01, 4.28 and 3.97 respectively.
The increased concentration of DBMSF reduced the cooking quality. The sensory analysis
gave better results in semolina pasta and 10% DBMSF blend. The analysis of the pasta
samples for the colour also indicated that the 30% blended DBMSF had a slightly more
colour (61.60) than the durum semolina samples. The durum pasta has good texture and
good cooking quality. The results suggest that by using debittered moringa seed flour
sample, it is possible to enhance the nutritional quality of pasta, without affecting its
cooking and textural properties.