Whole-grain spelt pasta with increased dietary fiber content due to persimmon byproducts

Persimmon fruits are one of the most widely cultivated fruit crops worldwide, they are widely distributed in Asian and European countries, and their production is growing along with consumer demand, including in Russia. Persimmon is a good source of nutrients and bioactive compounds, especially dietary fiber, carotenoids and phenolic compounds, among other bioactive phytochemicals. Persimmon is one of the fruits that not only has a limited shelf life but also significant losses at harvest, i.e. it is a seasonal perishable fruit that is difficult to store and transport, due to which almost one-fifth of all fruits grown are simply discarded. Currently, there is an increase in the valorization of unsaleable and storable persimmon fruits to create opportunities for their complex processing and full use in various food processing industries. This article considers the possibility of potential use of dry powder from persimmon fruits that have passed the extraction processing stage in the production of whole-grain spelt pasta for their enrichment with dietary fiber. It is well known that pasta products are considered to be good carriers of biologically active substances, in connection with which the aim of this study was set, which was to improve the technology of whole-grain pasta products with increased content of dietary fiber due to the use of persimmon powder in their formulation. To achieve this goal, experimental studies were carried out both drying of the obtained persimmon fruit raffinate and determining the rational share of the obtained powder in the pasta dough composition. The result of the study confirmed the feasibility of using dried persimmon fruit powder in the production of whole-grain spelt pasta, including due to the conducted organoleptic analysis of the obtained pasta products in both initial and boiled forms.