ISO 7304-2:2008

Overview - ISO 7304-2:2008 (pasta cooking quality, routine sensory method)

ISO 7304-2:2008 specifies a routine sensory method to estimate the cooking quality of alimentary pasta (spaghetti and short hollow shapes such as macaroni) made from durum wheat semolina. The standard assesses three texture-related characteristics-starch release, liveliness, and firmness-after cooking to the optimum cooking time (OCT). It is intended for daily quality evaluation and produces an objective estimate of cooking quality, not a preference score. The method can also be applied to pasta made from common wheat where national regulations permit.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope: Applies to long solid strands and short hollow strands; excludes small soup pastas.
• Attributes measured:
  • Starch release - tactile assessment of surface tackiness.
  • Liveliness - strand-to-strand sliding, applicable to long strands only.
  • Firmness - resistance to crushing between thumb and finger.
• Optimum cooking time (OCT): Determined by observing disappearance of the central white line in a strand (crushing plate for long strands or cutting for short strands).
• Sample preparation & cooking procedure:
  • Typical sample: 100 g pasta cooked in standardized water volume and stirring regime; cooled briefly and drained; assessment begins exactly 5 minutes after plating.
  • Basic apparatus: balance, pot and hotplate, colander, micrometers, plexiglass crushing plate, cutter, plates and timer.
• Evaluation procedure:
  • Assessors evaluate in set order (liveliness → starch release → firmness for long strands; starch release → firmness for short strands).
  • Ratings use a 5-point numeric scale mapped to values (100, 80, 60, 40, 20) for each attribute.
• Reference samples & training: Reference samples (e.g., produced by differing drying temperatures or cooking times) are defined by a trained panel and used for assessor calibration and routine comparison.

Practical applications and users

• Who uses ISO 7304-2:2008:
  • Pasta manufacturers and production QC teams
  • Sensory laboratories and trained panels
  • Food R&D and process optimization groups
  • Food certifiers, procurement specialists, and buyers assessing product consistency
• Practical benefits:
  • Standardized, repeatable sensory protocol for daily quality control
  • Objective texture-focused metrics (starch release, liveliness, firmness)
  • Supports process control (drying, formulation, cooking instructions) and supplier/product benchmarking

Related standards

• ISO 7304-1 - Reference method (related part addressing the reference procedure)
• ISO 24333 - Recommended sampling for pasta
• ISO 5492 - Sensory analysis vocabulary
• ISO 8586-1 - Selection and training of assessors

Keywords: ISO 7304-2:2008, pasta cooking quality, sensory analysis, durum wheat semolina, routine method, optimum cooking time, starch release, liveliness, firmness, reference samples, quality control.