A study of the effect of the pasta lamination process by near infrared spectroscopy

After mixing of the raw materials (durum wheat, pasteurised fresh egg and water), the resulting dough is processed to the desired thickness by pressure extrusion or sheet-rolling. These two processes impart different mechanical work to the dough. The specific mechanical energy (SME) is the amount of mechanical energy (work) dissipated as heat inside the product, expressed per unit mass of the material. This value is a common measure of extrusion processes and is an important process parameter influencing the final characteristics of the product.