Water and flour, right? It seems like the simplest thing in the world, yet making pasta is a process in which engineering and biochemistry are intertwined in a surprising way.
We stayed in the Garofalo pasta factory of Gragnano to show you every stage of industrial production: from the dough to the packaging.
But let’s start from the beginning: the ingredients. In pasta there is not just any flour, but rather durum wheat semolinayellower and richer in proteins than soft wheat flour. And proteins are fundamental, because they form the glutenthe net that traps the starch and gives pasta that consistency we all love.
The semolina arrives at the pasta factory by truck and is used as soon as possible to preserve its organoleptic properties. Before proceeding, however, a sample is taken for a series of food safety checks: chemical analyzes to verify the presence of pesticides, mycotoxins and heavy metals and microbiological, for bacteria such as Escherichia coli.
Once the tests have been passed, the semolina is ready to be kneaded. The kneading takes place in large vats with approximately 30% water compared to semolinafor approx 20 minutes. It is precisely here, thanks to water and mechanical action, that gluten is formed. The kneading then continues vacuum-packeda process necessary to avoid oxidation, preserve the color and prevent the formation of bubbles, which would cause uneven cooking.
At this point, in the video you will be able to see the dies in action. What is the die? The die is a perforated disk through which the dough is pushed under pressure to give it its final shape. In the video, we will understand what that infamous acronym that we read on pasta packages means, namely: bronze drawn, a fundamental secret to obtain that wrinkled surface that perfectly holds the seasoning.
Then there’s the drying, which can take ages 4 to 14 hours depending on the format, and must bring the pasta to a water content of less than 12.5% to guarantee its preservation. And the spaghetti? They come out of the process hanging like clothes, otherwise they would break — and you can see it very well in the video!
