Evaluation of the moisture percentage of gluten-free pasta mix from hyperprotein quinoa flour and its effect on cooking characteristics and color in the final product

Hydration during mixing in the preparation of pasta is of great importance since it allows for obtaining a uniform dough, which will give desirable final characteristics to the product in terms of texture, strength, and color [1]. In this research, different moisture percentages (45, 37, 35, and 30%) were evaluated on the final properties of the dough, in terms of baking and color tests. Also, two mathematical models were evaluated at the drying stage to determine which one best fit the experimental data. The results showed that the best-fitting model was Page's model, specifically in the 30% moisture mix, where the highest values of linear regression (R2) and drying constant (k) were found. In the baking tests, it was found that it was the mixture with a moisture content of 30% that presented the lowest values of baking losses and increase in weight. Finally, in the color test, the lowest values were obtained in the a* coordinate and the highest in the b* and L* coordinates in the mixture with a moisture content of 30%, results that are typical of quinoa flour.