Nutritional profile and cooking quality of a new functional pasta naturally enriched in phenolic acids, added with β-glucan and Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086

A new functional pasta using a durum wheat flour rich in polyphenols, with added barley b-glucan andBacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 was developed. Chemical, nutritional and microbiological analyses werecarried out to perform a comprehensive evaluation of the final product quality. The settled debranningprocess of durum wheat produced a flour rich in proteins and phenolic acids (18.18% dm and 392.1 mg/grespectively). These raw material characteristics had a positive influence on pasta cooking performancesas well as on its nutritional profile due to the high content of bound ferulic acid content (94% of totalphenolic acids). The probiotic strain remained viable during the pasta-making and cooking processes,and its amount in cooked pasta (about 9.0 log CFU/100 g) would be considered sufficient to exertbeneficial effects on consumer. The glycemic index of pasta measured in healthy volunteers was 59.7 andthe functional ingredients addition did not affect the postprandial glycemic response of pasta in healthyvolunteers. The information provided here suggests that the new developed functional pasta couldrepresent a high-quality product for its suitable nutritional appeal and potential beneficial properties.