Technological and sensorial quality of berry-enriched pasta

Background and objectives The objective of this research was to study the effect on technological quality and acceptability of adding dry berries to pasta. Raspberry (RB), boysenberry (BB), blackcurrant (BC), and redcurrant (RC) were dehydrated by freeze-dried (FD) and air-dried (D) methods and added to pasta at 2.5% and 7.5%. Findings Freeze-dried and D berries increased cooking loss; D-BB and D-RC fruits (approximate to 5.8 g/100 g pasta) caused the slightest changes. Berry-enriched pasta showed a decrease in firmness, adhesiveness, and chewiness, with FD berries having the highest detrimental effect. Pasta with FD berries showed higher polyphenol and anthocyanins than that with D berries. ABTS cation radical scavenging activity showed the highest values in pasta with 7.5% of BB and BC. Samples of berry-enriched pasta were preferred by over 70% of consumers compared to those of control pasta; descriptors were tasty, fruity, al dente, and nice color. Conclusions The addition of 2.5% of air-dried berries into pasta yielded a product with acceptable technological quality and distinctive sensorial attributes, with an effectively enhanced polyphenol, anthocyanin, and antioxidant activity content. Significance and novelty These results evidence that it is possible to develop pasta with great acceptability and high antioxidant activity through the incorporation of air-dried berries.