Cooking Effect on the Physicochemical and Antioxidant Activity of Spaghetti Added with Colored Corn Flour

AbstractBackgroundThe consumption of fortified food products is a growing trend because of the awareness of consumers about the importance of following a healthy diet. Therefore, the addition of functional compounds in a food matrix such as spaghetti could bring nutritional benefits to the consumer.ResultsSpaghetti pasta was prepared using a mixture of 60% semolina and 40% colored corn flour (CCF), such as blue, red, and yellow corn. Control pasta (P‐SC) was prepared using 100% semolina. The cooking quality, physicochemical, antioxidant, pasting, and color properties of the pasta were evaluated considering the addition of CCF and cooking effect. Chemical composition showed a decrease in protein content and an increase in fiber content due to the addition of CCF into the mixture. Cooked weight, water absorption, cooking loss (CL), thickness, and color parameters (L*, a*, and b*) were affected by the addition of CCF compared to the P‐SC. However, cooking did not affect a* values, while it increased b*. Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity such as 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrilhidrazilo (DPPH), 2,2'‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), increased due to the addition of CCF to the pasta. A reduction in antioxidant activity was observed after cooking, mainly in the TPC. The pasting temperature of the raw pasta was not affected by CCF, but peak viscosity, breakdown, setback and final viscosity were affected both by the addition of CCF to the pasta and by cooking.ConclusionsThe results demonstrate that pasta added with 40% CCF maintains the quality properties and antioxidant activity, even after the cooking process.