Amino Acid Composition of Spaghetti: Effect of Drying Conditions on Total and Available Lysine

Drying conditions had a pronounced effect on the degree of loss of available lysine in spaghetti, but had no significant effect on the level of any other amino acid. Increasing the drying temperature and the duration of high temperature (HT) resulted in increasing loss of available lysine. Moisture content of the spaghetti at the onset of HT had no significant effect on the extent of available lysine loss. Relatively short term exposure of spaghetti to HT during drying resulted in improved spaghetti color and much reduced loss of available lysine compared to drying programs with longer exposure to HT, without sacrificing cooking quality. Cooking spaghetti had no effect on amino acid composition and available lysine levels.