Pasta-products enriched with immature wheat grain : technological and nutritional properties

The basic composition and functional properties of mature cereal grains have been extensively studied. The search for potential and economic opportunities for novel uses of cereal grains has focused research on immature grains. Cereal grains harvested at early stages of kernel development appear to be an interesting raw material for functional food, containing fructooligosaccharides (FOS), well-known prebiotic compounds, in quantities 2-3 times higher than mature grains. Pasta samples were obtained from semolina mixed with immature wheat grain (IWG) meal of two different cultivars. The integration with IWG meal shows no relevant changes in pasta cooking quality, but promotes interesting differences in starch digestibility. In particular, in vitro starch digestion of cooked pasta is 7-8% reduced by the addition of IWG.