4. Conclusion and outlook

Few food industries have evolved as profoundly as pasta-making over the last 30 years. This development is the result of the joint efforts of academic and technological research. Scientific work has led to a better understanding of the physico-chemical basis of pasta quality and the impact of processing (shaping and drying) on these characteristics. Equipment manufacturers have incorporated all this information into the design of their new lines, as well as information from other disciplines such as new materials, sensors and control and regulation systems, in order to steer the process according to a defined technological itinerary. All these efforts have led to a significant improvement in the quality of finished products and the development of new pasta shapes.

Today, this technology is mature, but new challenges lie ahead for these industries. One of the main...