Scientists develop 'pasta that deforms and becomes three-dimensional when boiled', which may lead to reduction of transportation costs and greenhouse gases



In addition to

spaghetti in the shape of elongated noodles, there are various types of pasta such as cylindrical macaroni , farfalle shaped like a bow tie, and dumpling-shaped gnocchi. Dried pasta that retains these shapes is sold at grocery stores, but a new research team led by Carnegie Mellon University has created 'pasta that has a flat shape when dry but deforms and becomes three-dimensional when boiled.' Developed.

Morphing pasta and beyond | Science Advances
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/19/eabf4098

Morphing Pasta and Beyond Groove-based Universal Morphing Machanism — Morphing Matter Lab
https://www.morphingmatter.cs.cmu.edu/projects/morphing-pasta-and-beyond

Researchers develop pasta that morphs into shape when cooked
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-05-pasta-morphs-cooked.html

Mighty morphin'flat-packed pasta takes on 3D shapes as it cooks | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/05/mighty-morphin-flat-packed-pasta-takes-on-3d-shapes-as-it-cooks/



There are various types of pasta, and different types of pasta are used depending on the compatibility with the dishes and pasta sauce. On the other hand, complicatedly shaped pasta seems to have poor packaging efficiency, and the research team calculated that pasta shaped like macaroni accounts for more than 60% of the total volume of the bag, even if it is perfectly packed. The air occupies it. Not only is packaging inefficiency inconvenient to carry around during shopping and leisure, but it also wastes transportation to grocery stores and increases the amount of packaging waste that is discarded.

In addition, pasta with cavities takes longer to cook than flat pasta, and according to the research team, 0.7 to 1% of greenhouse gas emissions in Italy are due to pasta cooking. Therefore, the research team thought that improving the shape of pasta and the cooking process in the dry state could reduce transportation costs, the amount of waste waste, and greenhouse gas emissions.



Lining Yao and Wen Wong, who belong to the research team, have long been researching ways to deform the shape of food. In previous research, he also developed a method to bend the shape of food by attaching an 'edible film' using protein and starch to food.

However, authentic Italian pasta is

made only with semolina powder and water, and if you attach an edible film and deform it, the original texture and flavor will be impaired. In addition, since safety as food is required for manufacturing, it was difficult to deform it by using the structural anisotropy of the material and the non-uniformity of the composition.

Therefore, a research team of 17 experts in various fields such as materials science, mechanical engineering, manufacturing calculation, and design has developed a method to transform ingredients by 'grooving the surface of pasta'. Boiled dried pasta swells and softens, but if there are grooves on the surface, it will take longer to cook that part and it will be less likely to swell than other parts. By using this principle and calculating the location and depth of the groove, it is possible to make pasta that changes to the ideal shape just by boiling.

You can see what kind of pasta the research team has developed, 'pasta that deforms and becomes three-dimensional when boiled' by watching the following movie.

Morphing Pasta and Hike


The machine approaches a flat sheet of pasta ...



Press the pasta where there are small grooves.



When the machine was lifted, the pasta had grooves. It is said that this groove is the key to 'pasta that deforms and becomes three-dimensional when boiled'.



If you carefully calculate and cook the grooved pasta ...



Flat pasta is transformed into pasta with a three-dimensional shape during cooking.



When I actually boil the flat pasta with grooves using this method ...



The shape will change gradually.



Comparing the dry state before boiling (left) and the state after boiling (right), you can see that it has a three-dimensional shape after being cooked.



Even with another pasta ...



It is possible to make it three-dimensional just by boiling it in this way.



By devising the size of the pasta and how to make grooves, it is possible to create 'pasta that deforms and becomes three-dimensional when boiled' in various shapes.



Making pasta with a three-dimensional shape portable in a flat state not only reduces packaging waste and transportation costs, but also improves portability for outdoor leisure.



in Science,   Video,   Junk Food, Posted by log1h_ik