Functionality of pasta enriched with pumpkin seed meal: cooking quality, techno‐functional properties, textural and structural characterisation

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Summary The present investigation focuses on developing and evaluating the impact of pumpkin seed meal (PSM) supplementation at 0%, 3%, 6%, 9%, 12%, and 15.0% levels on the quality attributes of pasta. Results showed that the increase in level of PSM significantly ( P < 0.05) influenced the functional properties of pasta blend, cooking profile, antioxidant potential, textural, and structural characteristics of the enriched pasta. With an increased PSM level, cooking time reduced significantly ( P < 0.05) from 5.25 to 4.38 min; however, cooking loss increased from 5.23% to 11.70%. The addition of PSM resulted in a concomitant increase in the protein (11.46 to 20.91 g 100 g −1 ) content of pasta which in turn increased the pasta firmness (0.19 to 0.38 N) and lightness (L*). Total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant potential of the pasta increased significantly ( P < 0.05). Pasta enriched with 9.0% of PSM exhibited the highest overall acceptability score. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of bioactive compounds and protein in the pasta. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed modifications in the structural and morphological characteristics of PSM‐based pasta.