Innovations in the production of pasta and cereal products

Abstract

Background. The growing demand for functional foods, together with the need to improve technological efficiency and competitiveness of cereal products, requires the development of innovative processing approaches. This study focused on improving pasta and cereal products through the use of functional ingredients (spirulina, isolated sunflower protein and inulin) combined with optimized extrusion, drying and cereal stabilization technologies based on Ukrainian raw materials. The research evaluated physicochemical, rheological, technological, microbiological and sensory properties to determine optimal processing conditions and product quality relationships. Results and conclusions. The incorporation of 2 % spirulina significantly altered color characteristics (ΔE > 10) and increased dough water absorption by 5.2 %, while the addition of 5 % sunflower protein increased dough viscosity by 18.3 % due to additional protein network formation. Inulin (3 %) enhanced water absorption by 7.5 % and contributed to smoother texture. A synergistic effect was identified for the spirulina-sunflower protein combination, increasing the elastic modulus (G′) by 25 % compared with the control. Extrusion temperature showed a strong negative correlation with product strength: increasing temperature from 45 °C to 60 °C reduced bending resistance from 32.5 to 27.8 N. Optimal extrusion parameters were established at 50 ± 2 °C, 90 ± 5 bar and 20 rpm. Three-phase drying (70 → 55 → 40 °C) ensured uniform moisture content (12.5 %) and preserved thermolabile components (ΔE < 1.5). Infrared steaming of cereals reduced water activity to 0.62 ÷ 0.65, significantly improving storage stability. Consumer evaluation confirmed high acceptability, with 78 % willingness of respondents to purchase, and showed a strong correlation between the consistency and overall attractiveness of the product (r = 0.87).