Evaluation of new functional pasta using TOPSIS methodology

Abstract

Nowadays several studies are focused on the introduction of Opuntia in frequently consumed foods, such as pasta and bakery products. Food products containing Opuntia are in fact able to reduce body weight and plasma LDL cholesterol, lipids and glucose. Foods, that may provide health and wellness benefits, are known as "functional foods". The aim of this paper is the evaluation of a new functional pasta comprising Opuntia able to guarantee health benefits without altering the organoleptic properties of the final product. For this purpose, a set of samples, based on different concentration of Opuntia solution and process parameters, was prepared for the production of short and long pasta. The choice of the best sample was achieved by using a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) procedure in order to consider the quality of the final product and the production cost. In particular, Technique Ordered Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), one of the most widely used MCDM methods in decision support systems, was here implemented.