Influence of the salt addition on the couscous quality

Introduction. Couscous is a product made from durum wheat semolina and water. No other ingredient is added except salt. The effect of salt on the couscous quality is poorly understood, and has never been studied. Objective. The effect of adding salt was studied on the quality of couscous. Material and methods. Two commercial semolina were used. During the couscous manufacture, the rolling yields were determined. After pre-cooking and drying couscous, the particle size analysis enabled us to determine the mean equivalent diameter (D50), and the geometric standard deviation(Sg). In order to assess color and culinary quality of couscous, brown index, yellow index, swelling capacity of couscous, caking index, and water solubility index were determined on dry couscous. Results. The salt addition had an effect on the rolling operation yields. The percentages of couscous and lumps decreased with the salt addition, whereas the percentages of non-agglomerated semolina increased. The particle size showed that the D50 lowered with the salt addition. On the other hand, the Sg remained unchanged. Salt addition decreased brown and yellow indexes, caking index, water solubility index, and swelling capacity of couscous. Conclusion. The salt influences the couscous agglomeration by promoting the formation of fine fractions and ameliorates the coloring, and the culinary quality of couscous by improving the stickiness