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Journal of Human Nutrition & Food Science

Cite this article: Vassilopoulou E, Hadjimatheou E (2016) Nutritional and Sensory Evaluation of Novel Homemade Recipes for Gluten Free Pasta. J Hum Nutr Food Sci 4(5): 1097.

*Corresponding authorDr. Emilia Vassilopoulou, Assistant Professor, Department of Diet & Nutrition Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, 46 Make donitissas Ave, P.O. Box 24005. 1700 Nicosia, Cyprus, Tel: 357- 99027016; 30-6973353022; Email:

Submitted: 21 September 2016

Accepted: 17 October 2016

Published: 20 October 2016

ISSN: 2333-6706

Copyright© 2016 Vassilopoulou et al.

OPEN ACCESS

Research Article

Nutritional and Sensory Evaluation of Novel Homemade Recipes for Gluten Free PastaDr Emilia Vassilopoulou and HatjimatheouDepartment of Diet & Nutrition, Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, Cyprus

Abstract

A strict gluten limination diet is the unique solution for treating people with gluten related disorders. Commercial gluten free products have acceptable organoleptic characteristics, but they are high in energy and fat content, promoting obesity in patients with coeliac disease, are expensive and usually are difficult to find, especially in isolated areas. In the current investigation, two novel recipes for GF pasta were developed and compared in regards of their sensory and nutritional characteristics and cost.

Keywords•Cost•Gluten related disorders•Homemade gluten-free pasta•Sensory evaluation•Nutrients

ABBREVIATIONS

GF: Gluten Free; CD: Coeliac Disease

INTRODUCTION

The management of gluten-related disorders is one way to strict elimination of all gluten sources in the diet. Adherence to this lifestyle is not always easy due to the lack of appropriate education of sufferers on alternative products, cooking methods and label recognition of gluten in addition with the increased stress for accidental consumption especially when eating outside [1].

Gluten free (GF) diet has been related with lower intakes of folate, calcium, iron and fiber in patients with celiac disease (CD) [2]. Nowadays commercial GF products can be easily found in supermarkets, organic food stores and internet, when we refer to congested or developed areas, something that does not apply to remote or developing areas. In all case, the cost is relatively high comparing to the cost of wheat-based products [3].

Pasta is a product massively consumed by the general population, one of the most favorite foods for children, and consequently people with gluten related diseases seek for a tasty alternative [4].

The current investigation aims to develop and compare new recipes of homemade GF pasta with their commercial alternatives, in terms of cost, organoleptic and nutritional characteristics.

MATERIALS AND METHODSRecipes for homemade pasta

Recipe 1: Homemade GF gnocchi: Ingredients: 1.5kg new potatoes, 36g egg yolk, 70g millet flour, 70g whole meal rice flour, 3g salt

Preparation: Wash and boil the potatoes in salted water for approximately 40 minutes. Peel and mash the potatoes in a food processor and add the rice and millet flours. Beat egg yolks and add them to the potato mixture and homogenize again. Form long thin cylinders with the dough of 1cm diameter and then cut with a knife into 2 centimeters length pieces. In a pot with boiling salted add the gnocchi and boil until they float on the surface (approximately 3-5minutes). Gnocchi are ready to be served with toppings of one’s choice. The preparation time is approximately 50minutes.

Recipe 2: Homemade GF noodles: Ingredients: 240g millet flour, 240g whole meal rice flour, 150g whole fresh eggs, 3g olive oil and 3g salt.

Preparation: Mix millet and rice flour in a bowl. Make a hole in the center of the flours and add the eggs and the olive oil. Kneed with parallel addition of warm water to homogenize the mixture. Form a ball with the dough and place it on a floured board. Roll out dough and let it stand for 20minutes. Cut into strips and spread to dry dust with a little flour. Let dry for approximately 2 hours. Drop into boiling salted water for approximately 10 minutes. The preparation time is approximately 15minutes.

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Nutritional analysis

Nutritional content of both recipes was performed with Diet Plan 6.70, which is a nutrition analysis software package for professional dietitians and nutritionists [5].

Selection of commercial product

Two highly consumed commercial GF pasta, one of noodles and one of gnocchi, chosen from the list of GF products of the Cyprus Coeliac Association, were selected and compared with the respective homemade pasta [5]. The brand name, package weight and serving size were recorded together with nutritional analysis and mean cost that the product is sold in 3stores of the local market per 100g serving. The nutrients’ content recorded per 100g serving is shown on Table (1).

Sensory evaluation

For the sensory evaluation a previously designed form was used with a nine-point hedonic scale (1=extremely dislike to 9=extremely like).

Sensory evaluation was performed by 20 healthy volunteers studying at the university without a history of wheat/ gluten allergy or CD, and informed consent was signed by all panelists prior to the sensory evaluation.

Subjects were not informed about the specific ingredients used in the various products prior to tasting, to avoid expectation errors. Samples were presented in a random order to avoid the order effect. Panelists were advised to wash their mouth with water before and after tasting each recipe [6].

Approval from the University’s Bioethics committee was purchased prior to the sensory evaluation.

Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS version 21.0 [7]. Mann-Whitney U test was used for the non-parametric analysis of the sensory evaluation results [8] and p <0.05 were considered significant in all case.

RESULTS Comparison of the nutritional values and overall cost of the

various products is presented on (Table 1). The total energy and sodium content of the homemade pastas were found lower in comparison to the commercial ones.

Although the total fat content was slightly higher in both products, this was coming from the eggs and the olive oil.

Additionally, eggs in both recipes increased the quantity and quality of total protein and iron content in both homemade recipes.

Whole meal rice flour and millet increased the levels of fiber, calcium and folate.

The cost of homemade pasta was significantly lower, especially in the case of noodles.

Similar acceptability revealed from the food tasting process for all commercial and homemade products, apart from the odor the commercial gnocchi that was rated inferior (Table 2).

DISCUSSIONThe preparation of homemade dough can be rather

challenging in the case of GF products, as GF flours lack elasticity and ability to inflate, due to the physicochemical properties of the contained proteins. In the current investigation two newly developed recipes for homemade GF gnocchi and noodles with acceptable organoleptic characteristics and lower cost than selected respective commercial products are presented.

Previous studies have shown that adherence to a GF diet may lead to weight gain [9]. Nevertheless, both homemade GF pasta presented herein have lower caloric content than the selected commercial with which they were compared, providing them at a first glance superiority on reducing the risk of weight gain in patients with CD.

Eggs used upon dough’s preparation, provide a better, more elastic and ease to handle texture on the final products, are also an optimal source of protein and iron [10], nutrients that usually lack from the diet of gluten sensitive individuals.

The levels of fiber content in the homemade GF pasta was slightly higher compared to the commercial ones. Fiber comes

Table 1: Comparison to the Nutritional analysis and cost of 100g of Homemade against 100g of Commercial GF pasta.

Nutritional Analysis Homemade GF Gnocchi Commercial GF Gnocchi Homemade GF Noodles Commercial GF Noodles

Energy (kcal) 104 158 312 352

Protein (g) 2.2 3.5 7.6 7.8

Fat (g) 1 0.5 4.1 1.7

Saturated fat (g) 0.3 0.3 0.8 0.5

Carbohydrate (g) 22.4 35.7 58.7 76.7

Total sugars (g) 0.5 0.3 0 0.7

Fiber (g) 1.7 1.4 3.3 1

Folate (mcg) 7.8 N/A 15.3 N/A

Calcium (mg) 19.5 N/A 10.4 0

Iron (mg) 2.1 0 1 0

Sodium (mg) 80 736 22.8 46

Cost (€) 0.2 0.38 0.2 2.125

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from millet and brown rice flour, which are known to control blood glucose levels in patients with CD and diabetes [11,12]. Additionally millet flour is a great source of resistant starch, with beneficial health effects, especially in diabetic subjects [11,13].

Although we aimed to produce low fat pasta, our homemade products were relatively higher in their total fat content in comparison to the commercial ones. Nevertheless, this is not a fact of worry for fat accumulation and overweight [14], as it’s the main source is the olive oil. Olive oil is a superior source of ω-9-monounsaturated fatty acids and ω-6-polyunsatuared- fatty acids that lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and control LDL-cholesterol levels [15]. Additionally, the homemade pasta is lower in sodium content, in comparison to the commercial products, again with a significant effect into reducing the risk for strokes and fatal coronary heart disease [16,17].

In regards of micronutrients, the whole meal rice and millet flour are good sources of calcium and folate intake, nutrients that usually lack from the GF diet [18].

In terms of cost, commercial GF products are known to be expensive [19], and sometimes difficult to adhere. The current recipes provide the option to have a tasty easy to prepare product for use to the management of gluten related diseases, making them more affordable.

Last but not least, our recipes were found without significant differences in terms of acceptability upon the sensory evaluation, apart from the odor of the homemade gnocchi. It needs to be stressed out though that the sensory evaluation was performed by healthy individuals, who are not familiar with the organoleptic characteristics of GF ingredients [20]. Further guidance for improving the palatability of the GF products by a qualified dietitian or an educated chef could be useful, with appropriate suggestions such as the use of GF spices upon dough’s preparation or escort of food with various sauces such as tomato sauce, grated cheese or mince meat, fisheries or poultry. Additional sensory evaluations performed by gluten sensitized patients to compare would enhance these results, but these were not possible under the current investigation, as relevant permission was not undertaken for this investigation.

CONCLUSIONSIn the current study, two novel recipes for homemade GF pasta

are presented that could be a significant help for managing gluten sensitivities, such as coeliac disease, allergy to cereals and gluten sensitivity, as they present acceptable organoleptic characteristic and lower cost in comparison with the commercial ones. They are easy to prepare, with no need of high culinary skills or need of special equipment and the most significant contain valuable nutrients, known to lack from the diet of people suffering from gluten related disorders.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWe would like to thank University of Nicosia for the

permission to use the laboratory of Nutrition and Dietetics for preparing the recipes and the performing of sensory evaluation. No funding was received for the current investigation.

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Table 2: Nutritional analysis, cost and sensory evaluation of commercial and homemade GF pasta.Sensory evaluation (Mean (±SD) Homemade Gnocchi Commercial Gnocchi p values

Appearance 4.18±2.04 4.73±1.79 0.606Color 5.27±1.49 5.00±1.61 0.652Taste 4.09±1.87 5.45±1.57 0.076

Texture 4.55±1.87 5.73±1.42 0.088Odor 4.00±1.79 5.09±1.64 0.047

Overall acceptability 4.18±1.66 5.55±1.81 0.116Homemade GF noodles Commercial GF noodles

Appearance 4.09±1.81 5.09±1.92 0.193Color 4.09±1.76 4.91±1.70 0.193Taste 3.55±1.97 5.55±1.97 0.243

Texture 3.64±1.91 4.27±1.90 0.438Odor 4.45±1.21 4.82±2.14 0.438

Overall acceptability 4.09±1.87 4.91±1.58 0.243

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Vassilopoulou E, Hadjimatheou E (2016) Nutritional and Sensory Evaluation of Novel Homemade Recipes for Gluten Free Pasta. J Hum Nutr Food Sci 4(5): 1097.

Cite this article

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