Quality Evaluation of Gluten-Free Pasta Enhanced With Carboxymethyl Cellulose Gum: Rheological Properties, Characterization, Cooking Tests, and Sensory Analysis.

Background: The increasing prevalence of gluten-related disorders, such as celiac disease, has raised the demand for gluten-free (GF) products, highlighting a significant economic and public health challenge.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to create high-quality, nutritious GF pasta using rice flour, corn starch, pregelatinized starch, and carboxymethyl cellulose gum (CMC) as a substitute for semolina.

Methods: To assess the impact of CMC on pasta dough quality, samples with 0.5, 1, and 1.5% CMC were prepared, along with a control (0% CMC) and a semolina sample. The resulting pasta was analyzed for chemical properties, cooking quality, texture, color, and sensory evaluation, comparing it to the control, a market GF pasta, and semolina pasta.

Results: Rheological analysis showed that the storage modulus (G') was higher than the loss modulus (G'') in all formulations. Semolina pasta had a protein content of 13%, which was higher than that of the prepared GF pasta (4%) and market samples (8%). The addition of CMC reduced cooking loss from 11.07% (0% CMC) to 7.31% (1.5% CMC). Colorimetric assessments showed no significant differences among the GF samples. The sample with 1% CMC had the best texture and cooking quality.

Conclusion: The addition of 1% CMC improves dough rheology, product quality, and consumer acceptance as an effective gluten substitute. This research highlights the potential of CMC gum to improve GF pasta quality, meeting consumer expectations for taste and texture while also inspiring innovations in various GF products across various food categories.

Highlights: GF pasta was made using rice flour and corn starch. Adding 1% CMC improved the sensory evaluation, texture, and cooking quality of the GF pasta, with no significant effect on its color. In the frequency tests, G' was consistently greater than G'', indicating that the doughs were more elastic than viscous.