New biosolution helps pasta manufacturers use a wider range of wheat flours while maintaining firmness, texture and cooking quality
Novonesis has launched Optiva® Triticum, a new biosolution designed to help pasta manufacturers manage fluctuations in durum wheat availability and prices while maintaining the quality consumers expect. The solution is aimed at increasing flexibility in wheat sourcing and formulation.
Optiva® Triticum enables manufacturers to increase the use of soft wheat flour in pasta applications while supporting consistent performance across different flour qualities and protein levels. The development addresses growing pressure on pasta producers from changing raw-material costs and supply conditions.
The biosolution works by strengthening and connecting proteins within the pasta matrix, creating a more robust protein network. This helps improve structural integrity and allows manufacturers to work with a broader range of wheat flours without sacrificing key product characteristics.
In pilot-scale evaluations conducted by Novonesis, pasta made with Optiva® Triticum showed up to 25% higher firmness in spaghetti and up to 11% in short-cut pasta compared with control samples. The solution also reduced cooking-water turbidity by around 25%, indicating lower starch release during cooking.
The launch comes as pasta manufacturers look for ways to improve supply resilience while keeping products affordable and consistent. Greater flexibility in flour sourcing could help producers respond more effectively to variations in wheat availability, quality and pricing.
Novonesis said the solution is intended to help the pasta industry make better use of available raw materials while maintaining characteristics such as firmness and reduced stickiness that consumers associate with quality pasta.
The development highlights the growing role of enzyme-based biosolutions in food manufacturing, where producers are seeking technologies that can improve formulation flexibility, production consistency and raw-material efficiency.