Natural Additives in Wheat-Based Pasta and Noodle Products: Opportunities for Enhanced Nutritional and Functional Properties

Pasta products and noodles have been staple foods since ancient times in many countries all over the world. These cereal products are still increasingly popular worldwide for their convenience, nutritional properties, special flavor, and taste. Pasta and noodles are essentially the same type of food but differ in their raw materials and shaping process, as well as the people and regions in the world consuming them. Many additives have been developed and are being used today in pasta and noodle products for various purposes. However, due to lack of knowledge about specific uses for some additives, they are sometimes misused by manufacturers. This can lead to opposite technological effects instead and may even cause damage to human health. Due to consumer demands, interest now focuses on natural "green" food additives with broad-spectrum functions, high effectiveness, and low toxicity. In order to provide detailed references for noodle and pasta production, as well as to provide ideas for developing new types of these products, here we summarize the types of natural additives that are being incorporated in pasta and noodle products, mainly for quality improvement and food preservation.