Best products at
very negotiable prices. Spaghetti
Pasta dough, that is formed in the kneading machine and then driven
by the extrusion screw towards the head of the press, is forced
through a die whose characteristics strongly affect the appearance
of the pasta surface. Traditional dies made entirely of bronze make
the pasta surface rough, which helps to capture the sauce, whereas
the Teflon insert gives the product an even surface and a smoother
texture. To find out if other quality characteristics could be
affected by die materials, pasta (spaghetti) was prepared with
semolina having two different size distributions and extruded
through Teflon and bronze dies. Samples were dried at both high
(*2 °C) and medium (*0 °C) temperatures. The dried
spaghetti was evaluated for mechanical strength, porosity,
susceptibility to infestation with Sitophilus
oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera Dryophthoridae) and SEM ultrastructure
before and during insect infestation. Results showed that pasta
extruded through the bronze die had a higher porosity. This
characteristic caused a *0–*0% reduction in the spaghetti breaking
strength and a higher development of insects as the rough surface
of pasta made the deposition of eggs easier. The size distribution
of the semolina and the drying cycle influenced the spaghetti
breaking strength and insect development to a lesser extent.