Cnr and University of Bari, the recipe for fresh pasta to last one month longer
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Add the probiotics to the dough, and the fresh pasta will last 30 days longer. The recipe that extends the storage time of tagliatelle and ravioli is made in Italy and comes from the research laboratories of the Institute of biomembranes, bioenergetics and molecular biotechnologies of the CNR, in collaboration with the Aldo Moro University of Bari and with the private laboratory. Food Safety Lab.
The process
The new process – the results of which have been published in the journal “Frontiers in Microbiology” – is the result of the progress made by research in the biomolecular field and includes three innovative steps. During the dough, antimicrobial microorganisms are introduced, naturally present in our intestine, which are able to counteract the proliferation of harmful bacteria. During packaging, on the other hand, the modified atmosphere packaging technique is used, removing oxygen and replacing it with an unprecedented mix of other gases. Finally, the plastic packaging of the pasta has also been rethought, with the addition of an additional blend of probiotics in the mix. The results obtained by the researchers testing the trofie show that the combination of these three techniques allows to extend the life of the pasta by one month, also helping to reduce food waste.
Like today
Most commercially distributed fresh pasta is produced through an industrial process that also includes heat treatment. However, due to the water naturally contained in the product, fresh pasta is more perishable and vulnerable to microbial attack, which is one of the most frequent causes of alteration. The packages with which it is sold today already use plastic films with a barrier effect, capable of maintaining the protective atmosphere made up of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. This, added to the maintenance of the cold chain during transport and storage, are currently able to guarantee the safety of the product, avoiding or reducing contamination or the proliferation of microorganisms. With the new protocol developed by the CNR and the University of Bari, however, a further month of life can be added to the packaged fresh pasta. “This work demonstrates how innovations in the bio-molecular field can be extended not only to precision medicine but also to industrial applications that impact on everyday life”, commented Maria Calasso and Bruno Fosso, of the University of Bari.
The next steps
The technique developed by the team is ready to be introduced at an industrial level: “From the consumer’s point of view, the advantage of this product is the longer shelf life that is accompanied by ease of storage while maintaining the typical organoleptic characteristics – says Francesca De Leo , researcher at the Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies of the Cnr Cnr – this can be particularly important considering that consumers increasingly tend to reduce the frequency of their food purchases, and consequently to store products as much as possible after the their purchase and before their consumption “. The new protocol could also help in the fight against food waste: according to the World Food Program, about one third of all food produced each year is still wasted or lost before it can be consumed.
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