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Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart (2025)

phys.org

21–30 of 47 posts

Re: Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart (2025)

#21
post #11

There are some corn/rice pastas that are pretty close to the real deal. Sure a seasoned pasta officianado could tell the difference, but we have gluten intolerant in the house so predominantly eat gluten free pastas. Never had a visitor or kids friends complaining (and kids will complain about anything). Happily chow down. There are also some pretty good grain free varieties made from tapioca and egg, we get lasagne…

I buy Jovial which is a just straight brown rice flour and as long as you cook it right (which in Albuquerque is a problem with wheat pasta too) it's great.

Re: Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart (2025)

#22
"Gluten free pasta" is not an adequate description. It's defining a food product by what it is not made out of. I assume they mean chickpea, or one of the kinds that's a blend with quinoa, because corn or brown rice pasta is actually much more resilient than gluten pasta. You can cook the rice pasta far overtime and it does not fall apart. Chickpea pasta disintegrates, though. Anyway, not to distract from the real topic.

Re: Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart (2025)

#23
"Materials

Two types of spaghetti (regular No. 5 and gluten-free) produced by the Barilla company (Italy) were purchased in a supermarket."

Are you kidding me? You did a study and tested /one/ kind of gluten-free pasta?

There are so many different kinds from different companies. One type from Barilla is nowhere near representative to draw a useful conclusion.

Especially as unlike many other gluten-free pasta products it lacks an important binding agent.[1]

As someone with a gluten-allergic partner I regularly make pancakes and bake bread with (Italian!) rice-based flour.

And they are difficult to distinguish from the flour based ones, in taste, texture, fluffiness and and structural integrity.

The secret to this is xantham gum. It acts as a binding agent in gluten-free baking, providing the elasticity and stickiness that gluten typically offers. It helps to hold ingredients together and improve the texture.

I learned this when eating excellent gluten-free pinza, in a small place in Catania, Sicily, whose owner has celiac disease.

Ah yes, as far as pasta goes there is also research about this ofc[2]

[1] https://www.barilla.com/en-us/products/pasta/gluten-free/glu...

[2] "Incorporation of xanthan gum to gluten-free pasta with cassava starch. Physical, textural and sensory attributes"

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00236...

Re: Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart (2025)

#24
The headline is ambiguous and misleading. The reason that different types of pasta have different structural integrity is not that they scatter neutrons differently.

Neutron scattering was merely the tool with which they investigated the different molecular structures, which ultimately explain the differences in stability.

Re: Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart (2025)

#25
post #11

There are some corn/rice pastas that are pretty close to the real deal. Sure a seasoned pasta officianado could tell the difference, but we have gluten intolerant in the house so predominantly eat gluten free pastas. Never had a visitor or kids friends complaining (and kids will complain about anything). Happily chow down. There are also some pretty good grain free varieties made from tapioca and egg, we get lasagne…

Pasta is the only thing I don't miss.

I recently found some pasta made with 100% red lentils, rice or peas, which is really good, I can gladly offer it to people.

They cost a premium but the state gives us around 100€ a month to spend, and I don't eat that much gluten free stuff. Pizza on the other hand makes me sad ;(

Re: Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart (2025)

#26
post #8
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I and two of my three kids have coeliac(0), so we may have to disagree on that! Can confirm that various GF alternatives really don't come close to the originals. Without the gluten things seem to be too "biscuity"... 0) Third child positive for "predisposition to coeliac" on a genetic test, but no symptoms and an endoscopy was negative too. Let's see.

gotta try the combo VEGAN + CELIAC hehehe i literally gave up from Brazilian industrialized/processed food a long time ago :D

what are you saying - you are coeliac and gave up on eating gluten-free?

Re: Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart (2025)

#27

Gluten free pasta is the same kind of oxymoron as lactose free cow milk. Might look the same at first glance but absolutely fails at replicating the most important property: taste. And here we have scientists proving it‘s worse in other aspects as well.

I'm no expert, but aldi's cheap lactose free milk tastes the same as milk to me.

Re: Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart (2025)

#28
post #11

There are some corn/rice pastas that are pretty close to the real deal. Sure a seasoned pasta officianado could tell the difference, but we have gluten intolerant in the house so predominantly eat gluten free pastas. Never had a visitor or kids friends complaining (and kids will complain about anything). Happily chow down. There are also some pretty good grain free varieties made from tapioca and egg, we get lasagne…

Yeah, the Rummo Gluten Free pasta is just on another level in the UK vs the own-brand stuff. Thank goodness!

I think the Tesco own-brand pasta is good right now, also think that Barilla used to be better a few years ago.

Re: Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart (2025)

#30

Gluten free pasta is the same kind of oxymoron as lactose free cow milk. Might look the same at first glance but absolutely fails at replicating the most important property: taste. And here we have scientists proving it‘s worse in other aspects as well.

Meh, I disagree.

I get my GF pasta from a local italian food importer. the quality of the pasta is out of this world. i've done blind tasting tests with said importer and he couldn't tell the difference between GF and non GF.

there are crappy brands out there for sure and definitely some GF products are bad. some aren't.

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