Pasta Production: An

Overview
11.04.2016

Adam Tasset; Emily Boyd; Farah Nordin; Espen Cleveland;

Tristan Griffith
ENGL 314
Technical Description Assignment
Section 24

Introduction
Food is central to the modernization of humanity. By no longer having to spend every
waking hour hunting and gathering, humans were able to develop principles of art, math,
and science. Few foods are more widely recognized today than pasta. Pasta is a staple of
any college students eating habits, but pasta is also served in restaurants of the highest
quality. Since it has such a wide variety, it can be difficult to trace down what exactly
pasta is. For this reason, pasta production is an excellent subject for a technical
description. Written sources mention the existence of pasta as early as the 1st century
(Demetri). While these long, flat sheets of wheat and water were very similar to modern
pasta, it was not until the 13th
century that modern pasta developed as a spinoff of
traditional Chinese noodles. For the purpose of this report, the production of this
modern pasta will be considered. Pasta is differentiated from other noodles by the use of
Durum wheat in production (Avey). Pasta has all the features to be a hugely successful
foodstock. It is remains cheap and versatile, despite rising food costs across the globe.
For this reason, pasta sales have risen nearly three billion USD in the last five years alone
(McClatchey). Modern pasta production resembles most other large scale food
production methods. In short, the industry must grow Durum wheat, combine
ingredients, and ship products to storefronts. While this process is easily summarized, it
can prove complex, especially at this scale. Grains must be planted, nurtured, harvested,
and shipped before manufacturers can mix, extrude, package, and ship a final product.
The following description is a detailed look into the production of what is arguably the
most popular food in the world.

Discussion
1. Grain Production
1.1 Planting

Pasta is primarily made using a type of wheat called Durum wheat, which
originates from Australia where it was first grown in the early twentieth century (Kniepp).
However, it is now commonly grown in the upper midwest United States. Durum
production is geographically concentrated to North Dakota and the surrounding area
because it demands a special agronomic environment. North Dakota produces 68
percent of the U.S. durum crop (North Dakota Wheat Commission). Durum is the
hardest variety of wheat grown, and it is usually planted in the springtime and harvested
in the fall (typically from April or May to August or September). Durum thrives in a
climate characterized by cool summer nights, long warm days, adequate but not

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excessive rainfalls and a dry harvest (North Dakota Wheat Commission). The purpose of
this step in the process is to create what will become the main ingredient in pasta. The
wheat is planted, cared for, and grown until it is time for harvesting.

Figure 1.1 - Durum wheat before harvest. DuPont, 2016.

1.2 Harvesting
1.2.1 Conditions for Harvest

Durum wheat is harvested in the fall after the crop has turned from green to
brown. According to the Division of Agriculture in the University of Arkansas, prime
condition for harvesting wheat is when the moisture content dries to 20 percent
During days of low humidity, the moisture content of mature wheat quickly drops to this
level (Gardisser 1). Good timing of the wheat harvest is essential to produce a plentiful
yield of the crop. Also stated in the aforementioned article, there was a study that
...indicated that each day of delay after maturity reduced yields 12 pounds per acre due
to shatter [or, the crops seeds dispersing after they have become ripe] and other losses
(Gardisser 1).
1.2.2 The Harvesting Process

On a large scale, durum wheat is harvested using a combine with a wheat or a flex
draper header. This header uses a canvas-style rolling platform belt to catch crop from
the sickle bar. The crop is conveyed on the belt from both ends of the header to the
middle, where a third draper pushes it into the feeder house (Johnston). This is faster
than the alternative type of standard combine header that uses cross-augers (MacDon).
They are built to to operate at higher speeds, produce maximum yields and provide the
best grain quality (CaseIH). Again, the purpose of this step is to procure the durum
wheat for the pasta, as it is the main ingredient. After it is harvested, the wheat is
deposited directly from the combine into trucks for shipping.

Figure 1.2 - A draper combine header. MacDon Industries Ltd. 2016.

1.3 Shipping

After the wheat has been put into the trucks, it is shipped to a production facility,
where it will be made into pasta. Some pasta producers will keep the wheat in a country
elevator or their bin in the factory. In either way, the wheat must be stored in a place
with controlled temperature and humidity (Wheat from Field to Flour). This step is
compulsory to preserve the quality of the wheat and to prevent any spoilage due to the
growth of insect in the wheat. Most pasta manufacturers acquire their wheat from local
farms, which keeps cost low and speed high. Once these grains arrive at a manufacturer,
they must be properly conditioned for pasta production.

Figure 1.3 - Country elevators that store durum wheat.

2. Manufacturing
Once Durum wheat has been properly harvested and shipped to a production
facility, pasta enters the manufacturing phase of its timeline. While many of the foods
humans consume today have drifted towards a complex ingredient list with many
preservatives and flavors, pasta remains relatively true to its roots. Barilla, Inc. remains

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one of Americas most recognizable pasta manufacturers, and their pastas typically only
contain water, durum flour, and a few nutritional additives. An example of a typical pasta
ingredient list is shown below in Figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1 - Typical pasta ingredients

Some special products include flavorings or preservatives, but the vast majority of pasta
products remain simple. It is worth noting that there are a number of different categories
of Durum wheat that can be used in pasta production. The most commonly used variants
are semolina, durum granulars, and durum flour (North Dakota State University). These
variants deviate in how finely they are milled. Semolina is the coarsest of the three, but it
is still fine compared to other grains. Granules are finer than semolina, but coarser than
flour. While durum flour is a common component of breads from the Middle East,
semolina is the prefered variant for pasta (Conant). This milling process is typically
performed at the production facility itself. There are three crucial steps when milling any
grain, and durum wheat is no exception. Durum has a hard exterior, known as the bran,
which protects the seed during growth. This bran is difficult for humans to consume.
However, under this hard exterior, is the endosperm, which is ground to make grain.
Figure 3.1 below shows a cross section of wheat.

Figure 3.1 - Grain Cross Section

2.1 Conditioning
To start the process, grains are conditioned before grinding. In order to ensure
the finest quality semolina, grains must be soaked in water. The goal is to modify
endosperm and seed coat textures to yield large semolina and bran without endosperm,
with minimal power consumption (Gonzalez). This conditioning process is completed
about 10 hours later, at which point the grain has reached an ideal moisture of around
16%. This process is controlled by automated systems. When complete, the grain is ready
for grinding.

2.2 Wheat Grinding

Wheat grinding is one of the most recognizable food production techniques. After
the durum wheat has been properly conditioned, it is slowly fed into a grinding machine
with the objective of separating the bran from the endosperm. The grinding machines
consist primarily of large rollers, which are able to apply high compressive force to the
grain. An example of such rollers is seen below in Figure 4.1.

Figure 4.1 - Corrugated Rollers

Grinding machines typically have progressive stages. Each grain that passes through a
roller may not grind to exactly the same coarseness, depending on a huge number of
factors (Dziki). For this reason, products are separated before passing through another
roller. This also ensures that the bran is properly ejected from the workflow. At the end,
all the grain should be without bran, and at the same consistency. This result is semolina.
2.3 Mixing Process
Once manufacturers have refined their grain to an acceptable level, it is time for
the ingredients to be combined into a dough mixture. As mentioned previously, most
pastas only use drinking quality water, semolina, and occasional nutritional additives.
Large mixing machines, similar to household stand mixers, are used to combine these

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ingredients. Traditionally, manufacturers accept 31% moisture content as the ideal
balance for modern pasta (Pasta Manufacturing). Interestingly, these mixers operate in a
vacuum to ensure no air bubbles are left in the pasta dough. Less refined pastas, which
may not mix in a vacuum will experience reduced mechanical strength, and are less
aesthetically pleasing (Pasta Production, Mixing and Extrusion). At the conclusion of this
step, a recognizable dough takes shape, as seen in the figure below.

Figure 5.1 - Pasta Dough

Once this dough has been prepared, it moves to the most widely recognized part of the
pasta production process, extrusion.
2.4 Dough Extrusion
Properly mixed dough must be extruded into the shape desired by the
manufacturer. It is estimated that there are well over 350 different types of semolina
pasta (Why Does Pasta Come in So Many Shapes?). For a product using only two
ingredients, this is a stunning amount of variety. Although there are many different
shapes, such as spaghetti, rotini, bowtie, or macaroni, the extrusion process is
essentially the same. Properly prepared dough is fed into a die. Each die will result in a
different type of pasta. An example of a spaghetti die is included below.

Figure 6.1 - Spaghetti Extrusion

As the dough passes through the die, machinery keeps an eye on the newly formed pasta
until it has reached a proper length. For smaller pastas, this process is very rapid, and
may involve a spinning blade. For longer pastas, infrequent cutting is achieved with a
straight edge. In large scale settings, modern pasta extrusion machines will mix and
extrude pasta at a rate of nearly 5000 kilograms per hour (Abecassis). As this pasta is
extruded, it is collect for the final step of production, drying.
2.5 Drying
Before pasta can be shipped cross country to various distribution centers, it must
experience a reduction in moisture content. While small, artisanal shops typically sell
fresh pasta that is not dry, manufacturers are not able to stock or distribute pasta quickly
enough to prevent spoilage. Therefore, commercial pasta must be dried before
shipment. This process is widely recognized as the most difficult to control in the process.
Slight changes in humidity or temperature can have drastic impacts on pasta quality
(Pasta Manufacturing). Even within one drying room, it is difficult to achieve uniform
conditions across the room. Through a combination of mechanical controls, extruded
pasta is typically hung on large racks or baskets until the moisture content has reduced
to around 12%. An example of such as drying rack is seen below.

Figure 7.1 - Spaghetti Extrusion

Due to the tremendous variety in different types of pasta, each drying process must be
contoured to individual products. Once this process has been successfully completed,
the final product can be prepared for packaging and distribution.

3. Packaging and Distribution

3.1 Packaging

After manufacturing is completed, the pasta is then sent to be packaged. The

packaging is used to keep the pasta free from contamination as well as keeping it dry.
The pasta is grouped into pre-measured amounts to be put into either a polypropylene
bag or a cardboard duplex box(Bevilacqua et al.). The polypropylene bag is sealed using a
hot press while the duplex box is sealed with glue. While the pasta is being put in the
container, a tube is used to replace the air in the bag with a mixture of Carbon Dioxide
and Nitrogen to help with preservation (MadeHow). The containers are then put on a
conveyor belt to be prepared for transport. Cardboard cartons are used to group 30
pasta containers together. These cartons are then placed onto wooden pallets, which
contain 27 cartons, that are wrapped in a polypropylene sheet to keep them tightly

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packed (Bevilacqua et al.). These pallets are then loaded onto semi-trucks which will head
to a distribution center.
3.2 Distribution
Once the semi-trucks reach the distribution center, the pasta is unloaded from the
trucks and put onto conveyor belts. These conveyor belts take the pasta to either be
stored in the warehouse or sent to be distributed. The warehouse is refrigerated so the
pasta will stay fresh for a longer period of time. When the pasta is ready to be distributed
it will be sent via conveyor belt to stations that will allot the amount of pasta that each
store will need. The allotted amount of pasta is put into labeled boxes that specify which
store they will go to. These boxes are then put on a conveyor belt to be sent to the
outbound department. The outbound department takes these boxes and loads them
back onto semi-trucks which will head to the specified stores. When the pasta reaches
the stores, they are unloaded and put on the shelves for the consumers.

Conclusion
It is no understatement to say that pasta production is a diverse and complex
task. Harvesting grains is by itself a huge industry. This industry is able to provide the raw
ingredients for pasta production facilities, where simple flour is formed into recognizable
pasta products. This series of mixing, grinding, and drying procedures presents an
excellent cross section of modern food production techniques. Overall, the current state
of the pasta industry is far removed from its humble beginnings in the rocky hills of the
Italian countryside. However, the final product remains largely the same, which helps
explain the continued success of this hugely popular foodstock.

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