Effect of freezing rate in textural and rheological characteristics of frozen cooked organic pasta

The ready-meals market has grown significantly in developed countries over the past decade. In particular, organic pasta entirely formulated with organic ingredients and marketed as ready-to-eat meals, is an excellent choice of processed organic food. Of the available preservation technologies, freezing has been recognized as an excellent method of preserving the quality characteristics of foods. The aim of this work was to study the influence of two freezing conditions (air blast and cryogenic) on the quality of cooked organic pasta, in particular organic tagliatelle. Textural characteristics (textural profile analysis) and rheological measurements (relaxation and dynamic oscillatory tests) were performed in fresh cooked and frozen cooked pasta. The experimental results confirm that freezing produces structural damage in both frozen cooked organic pasta, the elasticity, the firmness and the water holding capacity being the more affected parameters. Textural analysis demonstrated that freezing rate was directly correlated to their derived parameters. A sensory analysis confirmed that instrumental results are detected by consumers.