*3.5. Color of Pasta*

The addition of xanthan gum and vital gluten was responsible for the darker color of uncooked pasta (Table 6). An opposite effect was noted with the addition of β-glucans. The product became brighter (higher values of the L\* parameter) as the share of this oat component increased. Pasta samples with xanthan gum and vital gluten additionally enriched with 20% of β-glucans (BG20) were characterized by similar brightness as the control sample (CON) (L = 51.10 and 51.52, respectively, for BG20 and CON). Similar results were obtained by Hajji et al. [60] in their analyses of durum wheat pasta enriched with barley β-glucans (at a level of 1–7%). In the case of the uncooked products, no statistical differences (*p* ≤ 0.05) were observed between the pasta with β-glucans and the control without β-glucans. The addition of xanthan gum and vital gluten negatively affected the intensity of yellowness (b parameter) and redness (a parameter) of the pasta. The fortification of the pasta with β-glucans reduced the negative changes in the color caused by the addition of vital gluten and xanthan gum, but even samples enriched with 20% of beta-glucan were less yellow and less red than the control sample (CON). The analysis of the color of the cooked pasta demonstrated a different effect of the addition of xanthan gum and vital gluten on product brightness (Table 6). Cooked pasta enriched with xanthan gum, vital gluten, and a small addition of β-glucans (5–10%) had a brighter color compared to the control sample (CON). This was probably due to the intense absorption of water by these products during cooking and the significant (*p* ≤ 0.05) increase in the volume index. Consequently, the lower concentration of pigments in the products may have caused the color changes. The increase in the β-glucan addition to the level of 15–20% resulted in a darker color of the cooked pasta; however, it should be emphasized that the values of parameter L for BG15 and BG20 were comparable with those recorded for the control sample (CON). The addition of β-glucans intensify the yellowness of the product; however, pasta samples with up to 20% β-glucans (BG20) were less yellow than the control sample (CON). As reported by Hajji et al. [60], reduction of the intensity of yellowness (b parameter) may be caused by lower protein content in β-glucan compared to that of semolina durum. At the same time, as a function of the increasing proportion of beta-glucans, the volume increase factor declines, which may contribute to a greater concentration of carotenoids in the product - therefore the value of the b parameter and the parameter increases in the case of cooked pasta.


**Table 6.** Color parameters of cooked and uncooked pasta samples.

Explanation: CON—control sample; BG—β-glucans; \* - concern CIE-lab color scale. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation. Data value of each parameter with different superscript letter in the columns are significantly different (Tukey test, *p* ≤ 0.05).

### *3.6. Sensory Quality*

The results of the sensory assessment confirmed that even the 20% addition of β-glucans did not deteriorate the sensory quality of the uncooked products (Table 7). All pasta samples with added β-glucans (5–20%) were approved by the study participants. No significant differences were found between uncooked products enriched with β-glucans, BG0, and the control sample (CON). In the case of cooked pasta, there was a risk that the increase in viscosity in samples with the addition of β-glucans would reduce the tastiness of the product [61]. Although there were no significant differences (*p* ≤ 0.05) in the appearance and hardness between the β-glucan-supplemented samples, the BG0 sample, the controls (CON), and the samples supplemented with 20% beta-glucan received

significantly lower marks for color, taste, adhesiveness, and springiness, compared to CON and BG0 (Table 7). It should be noted, therefore, that the highest additive of β-glucans that would be acceptable to consumers on a par with the control (CON) is 15% (BG15). Jaworska et al. [62] examined the sensory preferences of consumers of pasta with the addition of oat-β-glucans and reported that pasta with 16% addition of this ingredient turned out to be most often desired among samples with different levels of enrichment (the share of β-glucans was 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16%). The authors revealed that the choice of pasta with the 16% share of β-glucans was determined by the respondents' interest in the inclusion of dietary fiber in the diet and the need to consume functional products.


**Table 7.**Organoleptic quality of pasta samples.

 Explanation: CON—control sample; BG—β-glucans; Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation. Data value of each parameter with different superscript letter in the columns are significantly different (Tukey test,*p*≤0.05).
