This study reports the effect of the addition of oat bran and apple flour on the cooking quality, digestibility, antioxidant, nutritional and texture characteristics of a spaghetti-type pasta.Pasta samples were prepared by substituting 50% of durum wheat semolina with oat bran (OBP) or apple flour (AFP).AFP presented higher cooking loss and water Moisturizing Treatment absorption index than the control pasta prepared with 100% durum wheat semolina (WSP).The supplementation of pasta with oat bran increased the total dietary fiber content (16.
43% w/w, dw), while apple flour decreased the protein content (11.16% w/w, dw).There was no significant difference in the resistant starch content among all pasta samples.The pasta samples made with 50/50 durum wheat semolina/oat bran and 50/50 durum wheat semolina/apple flour increased the antioxidant activity by ≈46% and ≈97%, respectively.
The OBP and AFP samples had a similar texture to the control pasta.A 50% replacement of durum wheat semolina with oat bran in a Moulds pasta formulation decreased the caloric content and digestibility of its starch components.These attributes found in the oat bran pasta and apple flour pasta make them a healthy choice for the diet of people with specific nutritional needs.