Cooking quality, digestibility, and sensory properties of proso millet pasta as impacted by amylose content and prolamin profile

As part of ongoing efforts to promote millet as a double crop for the American Midwest, four Minnesota-grown proso millet varieties were selected for fresh gluten-free pasta production and compared to commercially available fresh gluten-free and wheat pasta. Raw and cooked pasta were analyzed for starch and protein content, color, and carotenoids. Cooked pasta was assessed for cooking quality, in-vitro starch and protein digestibility, and sensory quality. Millet pasta contained less rapidly digestible starch than commercial gluten-free pasta; however, millet and commercial gluten-free pasta had lower protein digestibility than wheat pasta. Sensory panelists detected more graininess and starchiness in millet samples than in commercial pasta. Millet varieties differed in amylose content and prolamin profile, and both factors influenced pasta properties. Pasta with more amylose and high-molecular weight prolamins had lower cooking loss and lower stickiness scores. Higher amylose contents also corresponded to higher firmness and chewiness among millet pasta samples. The millet sample with the lowest amylose and prolamin content yielded pasta of the lowest quality. Results indicated that select proso millet varieties may be suitable for fresh pasta, yet quality improvement is warranted by recipe or processing optimizations.