Amaranth flour, cassava starch and cassava bagasse in the production of gluten-free pasta: technological and sensory aspects

Summary The objective of the present research was to analyse the combined effect of pregelatinised cassava starch and bagasse (70:30) flour, cassava starch and amaranth flour on the cooking properties of pasta, verify the acceptance and buying intention of the product with the best technological characteristics, and finally compare them with commercial products made with regular and whole wheat flour. The vermicelli‐type pasta obtained in this study in the proportion of 10:60:30 (pre‐gelatinised flour:cassava starch:amaranth flour) showed the best results in the quality tests, with a cooking time of 3 min, mass increase of 101.5% and 0.6% solids loss to the cooking water, superior to the commercial pasta. Acceptance testing showed that this was a very good pasta (score of 7.2 on a 9‐point scale) and obtained 42% buying intention amongst the consumers. The elaboration of pasta containing pregelatinised cassava starch and bagasse (70:30) flour, cassava starch and amaranth flour was shown to be a feasible alternative with respect to the technological and sensory aspects, and could be consumed by those suffering from gluten intolerance.