Use of moldavian dragonhead seeds residue for pasta production

The study was undertaken to determine selected properties of pasta supplemented with Moldavian dragonhead defatted flour (MDF) (by-product of oil extraction), added to the recipe up to 25 g/100 g. The pasta was evaluated with respect to the cooking quality (optimum cooking time (OCT), cooking losses (CL), weight increase index (WII)), firmness, color, nutrients content, and sensory characteristics (surface appeal, color, smell, taste, hardness, stickiness, overall acceptability, sensory acceptance index). The addition of MDF decreases the pasta extruder output up to 40%. The pasta fortified with MDF had higher OCT, CL, WII, and lower firmness, compared to control sample (100% semolina). It was concluded that MDF can be used in the concentration of 10 g/100g resulting in pasta with high nutritional content and sensory acceptance. This level of addition of MDF provided nutritional increase of 5.8% in proteins, 145% in dietary fiber and 50% in minerals, without negative affecting the cooking and sensory characteristics of pasta. This formulation resulted in sensory acceptance index of 88%. Furthermore, MDF is characterized by good composition of fatty acids with a high share of linolenic (62.21%) and linoleic acids (20.39%). Thus, MDF-fortified pasta can be used by consumers which look for a healthier diet.