Functionalization of pasta through the incorporation of bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products: Fundamentals, opportunities, and drawbacks

Global strategies promoting healthy diets have rarely succeeded because of the resistance posed to the modification of consumers' preferences. In this scenario, the addition of bioactive compounds to highly consumed foods, such as pasta, represents an opportunity to promote healthier lifestyles through the consumption of functional products, without drastically changing consumer habits. This review presents a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of pasta functionalization through the addition of agri-food by-products, with a specific focus on the engineering strategies and the utilization of “clean technologies” to overcome the drawbacks associated with product quality. Pasta, one of the most consumed products worldwide, can be re-designed as a carrier for bioactive compounds, which are not consumed in sufficient amounts in the daily diet. This review provides a critical analysis of the use for pasta functionalization of bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products, such as dietary fibers, proteins, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids, focusing on their techno-functional properties and long-term beneficial effects as the most critical factors to be controlled during pasta production together with the preservation of quality attributes, also through suitable operational strategies to tackle the main processing challenges associated with pasta functionalization. In the frame of the "zero waste economy", the exploitation of nonthermal technologies to fully unlock bioactive components from agri-food products but also enhancing enhance their functionality and activity represents a noteworthy opportunity for the pasta industry to satisfy the increasing consumers' demand for greener products, cleaner labels, and sustainable processes. • Pasta, a staple food, can be redesigned as a carrier of health-beneficial compounds. • Functional pasta can promote healthier lifestyles without changing consumer habits. • Process conditions and compounds stability are key parameters in functional pasta. • Agri-food by-products can be exploited for pasta functionalization. • Green technologies may contribute to a more sustainable functional pasta production.