Furosine as a pasta quality marker

Furosine is a Maillard reaction product which is formed in foodstuffs submitted to thermal stress. According to the law, furosine content must be monitored in milk and dairy products, while there is no limit value for other food categories. However, low furosine concentrations are generally related to high nutritional food quality and to the adoption of mild heat treatments. In this study a HPLC method for the determination of furosine in durum wheat semolina pasta samples was developed. The screening, performed on a wide selection of samples including both industrial and artisanal products, highlighted that furosine content depends on the drying process applied (slow at low temperatures or fast at high temperatures). Thus, furosine may be used as quality and process marker to control pasta thermal damage during manufacturing, as well as to discover potential label fraud.