Pasta as a Source of Minerals in the Diets of Poles; Effect of Culinary Processing of Pasta on the Content of Minerals

Pasta is a product that requires culinary processing which can affect the content of minerals in the finished product. The study aimed to examine how cooking pasta (1) in salted water (1 teaspoon—16 g of salt per 1 litre of water) or unsalted water and (2) rinsing cooked pasta with running water affects the content of minerals. Thirty-five samples of six types of pasta were analysed. The content of minerals was determined using the ICP-OES method. Retention of minerals in the cooked pasta was calculated. Taking the culinary treatment into account, the intake of minerals with pasta was assessed for children, adolescents, and adults, and the values were compared with the recommendations for the population of Poland. The analysed culinary factors had a statistically significant influence on the content of minerals. Adding salt to water when cooking pasta significantly increased the content of Na in the product, which in turn was negatively correlated with the content of other minerals. When pasta was cooked in unsalted water, it contained less Na and more other minerals than pasta cooked in salted water. Rinsing of pasta reduced the content of all minerals. Pasta is an important source of Mg, Cu, and Mn in the diet of Poles. These ingredients are particularly important to ensure correct development and functioning of the human body. The best method of culinary treatment of pasta is cooking in unsalted water without rinsing.