A new study from Lund University has revealed what really keeps spaghetti from falling apart in boiling water and it all comes down to gluten.
Using advanced imaging techniques, researchers looked deep inside regular and gluten-free spaghetti to understand what happens as the pasta cooks. The results, published in Food Hydrocolloids, show that gluten forms a microscopic “safety net” that helps pasta maintain its shape, while gluten-free versions rely on artificial structures that can easily break down if conditions aren’t just right.
“We were able to show that the gluten in regular spaghetti acts as a safety net that preserves the starch,” said Andrea Scotti, PhD, senior lecturer in physical chemistry at Lund University. “The gluten-free pasta, which contains an artificial matrix, only works optimally under exactly the right cooking conditions — otherwise the structure easily falls apart.”
To get these insights, Scotti and his colleagues used small-angle neutron scattering and X-rays, tools capable of peering into the pasta’s interior at the nanometer scale. Their analysis showed how gluten binds and protects starch granules, while gluten-free varieties lose that protection and break down faster.
The study also found that salt plays a subtle but important role in the cooking process.
“Cooking pasta with the right amount of salt is not just a matter of taste — it also affects the microstructure of the pasta and thus the whole dining experience,” Scotti explained.
Regular pasta was more forgiving when cooking conditions were less than perfect, while gluten-free pasta was more sensitive to salt concentration and cooking time.
The researchers now plan to expand their work to explore how digestion affects pasta’s structure, particularly how gluten and starch behave in the stomach. That knowledge could help food scientists design gluten-free pasta that’s not only more durable but also more nutritious.
“With demand for gluten-free alternatives increasing, we hope our methods can help develop more durable and nutritious products that stand up to the demands placed on them by both the cooking process and by consumers,” Scotti said.
The study was supported by beamtime access and institutional support from the European Spallation Source, Institut Laue-Langevin (France), Diamond Light Source, and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source (UK).