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Sorghum Pasta and Noodles: Technological and Nutritional Aspects

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Abstract

Sorghum is a major cereal crop with various agronomic advantages, contains health-promoting compounds and is gluten-free. There is a growing tendency to use sorghum in pasta and noodle formulations, which are among the most widely consumed products in the world, but its potential benefits in human diet are not being fully exploited. Here we review research carried out during the past few years on the use of sorghum as the main ingredient or as an additive in pasta and noodles, highlighting its properties and production technology. Pasta and noodles can be produced with 5 to 100% of sorghum at laboratory, pilot or industrial scale with suitable cooking and textural quality coupled with distinctive sensory attributes. Cooking loss shows minimum values of 0.85 and 1.9 g/100 g for pasta and noodles, respectively, and high water absorption (up to 345 g/100 g). The interesting nutritional profile of the products generally includes up to 45% resistant starch (RS) and phenolic compound content with high antioxidant activity. In addition, tannins decrease starch digestibility 15–20%, producing low glycemic index (GI) products (below 65). This is especially important for celiac people, offering them the alternative of gluten-free sorghum pasta and noodles.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Técnica (CONICET), Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica and the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CONICET-UNC, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba (ICYTAC), Córdoba, Argentina

    Pablo Martín Palavecino, María Isabel Curti, Mariela Cecilia Bustos & Pablo Daniel Ribotta

  2. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina

    Pablo Martín Palavecino, María Cecilia Penci & Pablo Daniel Ribotta

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  1. Pablo Martín Palavecino
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  2. María Isabel Curti
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Palavecino, P.M., Curti, M.I., Bustos, M.C. et al. Sorghum Pasta and Noodles: Technological and Nutritional Aspects. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 75, 326–336 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-020-00829-9

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