Study · Journal of the science of food and agriculture · 2021Abstract only

Moringa leaf powder added to durum wheat fresh pasta

What it found

Adding dried Moringa oleifera leaf powder to fresh durum wheat pasta changed how it cooked and made it richer in phenols, antioxidants and minerals.

Taste testers still accepted it well.

What they found

Studies in people

Taste testers

The pasta made with Moringa leaf powder had good sensory acceptability.

Other findings

Cooking and texture

Higher levels of Moringa leaf powder lowered the best cooking time, the swelling index and firmness. They raised cooking loss and stickiness.

Phenols and antioxidants

Adding Moringa leaf powder raised the phenol content and the antioxidant activity of the fresh pasta.

Mineral content

The mineral content of the fresh pasta went up with the Moringa leaf powder.

Nutrition claims

Because of the minerals in the Moringa leaf powder, the pasta could make several nutritional claims.

What the authors conclude

“The fortification of fresh pasta with MOLP could represent a valuable strategy to increase the nutritional value of the product, preserving pasta technological properties without affecting sensory acceptability.”
Simonato B, Tolve R, Rainero G, et al, 2021

Also in their conclusions

  • They say fortifying fresh pasta with Moringa oleifera leaf powder could be a valuable way to raise the nutritional value of the product.
  • They add that this keeps the pasta's technological properties without affecting sensory acceptability.

How it was done

Pasta is eaten all over the world and is a good base for adding ingredients rich in bioactive compounds. The authors say fortifying pasta this way could be a choice for consumers.

They made fresh pasta, replacing durum wheat semolina with 0, 5, 10 and 15 g 100 g-1 of dried Moringa oleifera leaf powder. They then measured its technological, nutritional and sensory properties.

What it can’t tell you

  • We summarised it from the abstract only.
  • The paper does not report how much of the pasta people would need to eat to get the extra minerals or antioxidants.
  • It does not say whether the pasta would keep these properties after storage or on a shop shelf.

The paper

Title
Technological, nutritional, and sensory properties of durum wheat fresh pasta fortified with Moringa oleifera L. leaf powder
Type
Study
Evidence
Studies in people
Summarised from
Abstract only
Cite
Simonato B, Tolve R, Rainero G, et al (2021). Technological, nutritional, and sensory properties of durum wheat fresh pasta fortified with Moringa oleifera L. leaf powder. Journal of the science of food and agriculture. doi:10.1002/jsfa.10807PubMed 32898294DOI

Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error