Drying and rehydration of pasta

Pasta is dried at the production stage and consumed after rehydration by cooking. Because the water migration behavior during drying and rehydration largely affects the quality of pasta, a better understanding of this behavior helps to efficiently manufacture and cook pasta of good quality. However, the key mechanism controlling water migration inside pasta is not fully understood. This review aims to provide an overview of the phenomena occurring during the drying and rehydration processes. In addition, the effects of drying and rehydration conditions on pasta quality are discussed. Knowledge of these effects would be useful for rational determination of the conditions for producing pasta with desired qualities.