Spaghetti and pasta

Pasta is one of the most common and popular staple foods thanks to its sensory and nutritional value, convenience, and versatility. It is reported that about 14.3 million tons of pasta are produced annually worldwide. According to Italian law, “dried pasta” must be produced with water and durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) (i.e., semolina, coarse semolina, or whole meal semolina). Although in the rest of the world (except for France and Greece) common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) can be used for pasta production, it is well-known that only durum semolina can assure the best product quality, in terms of dough rheological properties, cooking quality and consumer acceptance]. However, it should be noted that common wheat is approximately 20–25% cheaper than durum wheat, making it an interesting raw material for worldwide production thanks to its high availability and (cost-effectiveness/relatively low cost. One of the main reasons for the success of pasta is its nutritional profile. Indeed, pasta generally is very nutritious, due to its low amount of fats and readily digestible carbohydrates. Moreover, pasta can supply healthy components, such as fiber or prebiotics. The low cost and long shelf life of pasta make it popular with many diverse groups of consumers

Have you ever wondered how spaghetti is made before it is packaged? In an artisan pasta factory, the production process for long pastas involves six steps. This stages includes below item:

• Kneading

The process begins inside tanks known as kneading machines where Water and durum wheat semolina are dosed and slowly mixed. Once these two elements begin to mix, gluten and starch are created, giving rise to the dough. The key is to be able to create a homogeneous mixture without damaging the substances therein. The kneading step can take up to 20/25 minutes for this precise reason. The temperatures recorded inside the tanks never exceed 38°C. This is essential in order for the next step to be successful.

• Drawing

Once the dough has reached the proper homogeneity, it is pushed through a compression screw towards the die or mould. The die is the element used to generate the pasta, giving rise to a certain shape depending on the shape of the slots on its surface. The production continues and the spaghetti move on to the pre-drying tunnel.

• Pre-drying

 

The pasta is pre-dried in this step, meaning the outer surface is slightly dried, so that its shape does not change further. It is no coincidence that pre-drying is also called the “wrapping” step, referring to the outer part of the dough. However, remember that the pasta is still fresh in this step. Only subsequently will a dedicated process allow its final drying.

• Drying

The objective of this step is to remove the water within the pasta in order to obtain the dry product. To do this, the spaghetti must be placed inside special drying cells. We have five active cells at the pasta factory that allow us to dry the pasta slowly, never exceeding 38°, without creating cracks on its surface.

More importantly, this type of processing does not distort the organoleptic properties of the semolina, leaving the gluten and natural starch unaltered.

• Cutting

After drying, the spaghetti is ready to be cut to a standard length. This procedure is carried out by the stripping-cutting unit, the machine that cuts the spaghetti in exactly two places: at the top and in the middle. As soon as it is ready, the spaghetti is loosely placed inside cartons covered with a protective coating. Now it is ready for the last step: packaging.

• Packaging

All these steps are done automatically by the device. Apamehgroup  can supply and produce each weight based on customer inquiry.