ISO 7304-1:2016

Overview

ISO 7304-1:2016 - "Durum wheat semolina and alimentary pasta - Estimation of cooking quality of alimentary pasta by sensory analysis - Part 1: Reference method" defines a standardized sensory analysis reference method to estimate the cooking quality of alimentary pasta. The method evaluates cooked pasta for firmness, liveliness (slipperiness/adhesion), and starch release using a trained sensory panel. It is a reference protocol intended to support development, approval or monitoring of routine and instrumental pasta-testing methods.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope: Applies to all alimentary pasta produced from durum wheat and, where permitted by national regulation, common wheat or mixes. Excludes small soup-type shapes.
• Primary attributes assessed:
  • Firmness - resistance to cutting between the teeth (assessed by chewing).
  • Liveliness - ability of strands to slide over one another (assessed by manual handling).
  • Starch release - surface breakdown and starch transferred to fingers (assessed visually/manually).
• Optimum Cooking Time (OCT): Determined by checking disappearance of the central white line in a strand (crushing plate for long pasta; cutting for short pasta).
• Sample preparation & cooking:
  • Typical test: 100 g pasta, 1 500 ml water, 10.5 g sodium chloride (≈7 g/L), boil and cook for OCT (or deliberate overcooking).
  • Specific apparatus: pans, hotplates, timer, colander, crushing plate/cutter, micrometres, plates and forks.
• Sensory panel & test conditions:
  • Panel of at least 10 qualified assessors (selected and trained per ISO 4120 and ISO 8586).
  • Present up to six coded samples (including a known reference) in controlled sensory conditions; reference sample ratings should be mid-range (about 30–70 on a 10–100 scale).
  • Ratings: whole-number scales (10 = very tender/sticky etc., to 100 = very firm/not sticky).
• Purpose: Method gives an estimate without expressing a preference; designed as a reproducible reference for validating other methods.

Applications and users

• Quality control and R&D in pasta manufacturing and semolina processing.
• Food testing and sensory laboratories validating cooking quality, texture, and processing effects.
• Instrument developers comparing instrumental texture/liveliness measures with sensory reference data.
• Regulatory bodies and standards committees developing or approving routine test methods.

Related standards

• ISO 7304 (series) - Part 2: Routine method (complements Part 1).
• ISO 4120 - Sensory analysis: Triangle test (panel selection).
• ISO 5492 - Sensory analysis: Vocabulary.
• ISO 8586 - Selection and training of assessors.

Keywords: ISO 7304-1:2016, durum wheat semolina, alimentary pasta, cooking quality, sensory analysis, optimum cooking time, pasta testing, firmness, liveliness, starch release.