Spoiler: salt
By Lund University
What prevents spaghetti from falling apart when cooked in
boiling water? According to recent research, gluten is the key factor. The
quantity of salt added to the cooking water also plays a surprisingly important
role..webp)
To investigate, scientists used advanced analytical methods
to examine the internal structure of store-bought spaghetti in both regular and
gluten-free forms. Their results indicate that gluten is essential for
maintaining the pasta’s structure while it cooks.
“We were able to show that the gluten in regular spaghetti
acts as a safety net that preserves the starch. The gluten-free pasta, which
contains an artificial matrix, only works optimally under exactly the right
cooking conditions – otherwise the structure easily falls apart,” says Andrea
Scotti, senior lecturer in physical chemistry at Lund University.
Scotti used both small-angle neutron scattering and X-rays
in the research. These methods make it possible to study foods at the
microscopic level – down to a billionth of a meter – and link these findings to
product characteristics such as texture, shelf life, and glycaemic index.
The new study also concludes that the salt in the pasta
water plays a role in the end result.
The Role of Salt in Pasta Perfection
“Our results show that regular pasta has higher tolerance,
or better structural resistance, to less optimal cooking conditions such as
being cooked for too long or too much salt being added to the water. So,
cooking pasta with the right amount of salt is not just a matter of taste – it
also affects the microstructure of the pasta and thus the whole dining
experience,” says Andrea Scotti.
The researchers now plan to continue their work by studying
more types of pasta and different manufacturing conditions, as well as
replicating what happens to the pasta once it is in the stomach, to see what
effect digestion has on its chemical structure.
“With demand for gluten-free alternatives increasing, we
hope that our methods can help develop more durable and nutritious products
that stand up to the demands placed on them by both the cooking process and by
consumers,” says Andrea Scotti.
Reference: “A small-angle scattering structural
characterization of regular versus gluten-free spaghetti” by J.E. Houston, R.
Schweins, N.P. Cowieson, G.N. Smith and A. Scotti, 27 August 2025, Food
Hydrocolloids.
DOI:
10.1016/j.foodhyd.2025.111855
The research was conducted together with Judith Houston,
lead instrument scientist for the LoKI instrument at the European Spallation
Source (ESS) in Lund, Sweden, and collaborators from the Institut Laue-Langevin
in France and the Diamond Light Source and ISIS Neutron and Muon
Source in the UK.
