A novel approach to define inter-protein relationships in semolina and in pasta

The aim of this work was to relate the surface hydrophobicity properties of semolina proteins and the accessibility of their thiol groups in two durum wheat cultivars with the cooking quality of pasta. Biochemical analyses were carried out on whole semolina and on uncooked pasta samples, without prior fractionation, and in conditions suitable for assessing the accessibility of thiol groups in the protein interior. A relationship was found between the pasta cooking quality and the surface hydrophobicity of semolina, but not with thiol accessibility. Thiol exposure in proteins of uncooked pasta was related to the viscoelastographic properties of the cooked pasta.