Pasta is a widely consumed food in all over the world. Coarse semolina obtained from durum wheat and water are the main ingredients of conventional pasta products. The amount of gluten and quality level of durum wheat, are two important factors for the superiority of finished pasta. Market price of durum wheat is higher than the common wheat and it contributes no more than 5% of the world wheat production. Thus, to come across the challenge of emerging pasta consumption, new field of research that is dealing with the incorporation of nonconventional ingredients to the conventional formula of pasta has initiated. The compositions of raw materials which are used for pasta preparation directly affect the physical, chemical, and textural properties of the product. Therefore, incorporation of nonconventional ingredients can lead to a contradictory effect of pasta quality. This review will focus on the various types of nonconventional ingredients that are being incorporated in pasta products and their effect on the quality attributes of different pasta products.

Cassava flour has a high potential to contribute as a raw material in the food industry. This study was aimed at characterizing flours from Sri Lankan cassava varieties with a view to explore the potential in food applications. Flours prepared from five cassava varieties, namely, Kirikawadi, MU51, Swarna, Shani, and Suranimala, were analyzed for proximate composition and physicochemical, functional, and antioxidant properties using standard methods. Flours from tested cassava varieties contained <1% crude fat and <2% crude protein. Flour from MU51 contained the highest amount of HCN (48.05 mg/kg) while flour from Suranimala contained the lowest (4.85 mg/kg). Total starch and amylose contents of flours were significantly lower ( p < 0.05 ) than those of commercial wheat flour. Flour from Suranimala contained approximately similar amylopectin content as commercial wheat flour. Water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, water solubility index, swelling power, emulsion activity, and emulsion stability of flours from five cassava varieties were significantly higher ( p < 0.05 ) than those of commercial wheat flour. Swarna was identified as the richest source of phenolic compounds (4.44 mmol GAE/100 g dry weight) among the five varieties. Results showed the promising application potential of flours from these five cassava varieties in different food applications such as weaning foods, bakery foods, and edible films.