Omega-3 rich foods: Durum wheat spaghetti fortified with Portulaca oleracea

Portulaca oleracea is an annual succulent herb (purslane) with high antioxidant properties and high content of
essential ?-3 and ?-6 fatty acids, ascorbic acid, ?-tocopherol and ?-carotene. In the present study, sensorial and
chemical analyses of uncooked and cooked durum wheat pasta fortified with purslane from three different
Sicilian areas and at three different concentrations (5, 10 and 15%) were estimated. The sensorial analysis
showed that the scores of the overall acceptance decreased considerably in pasta with 15% purslane, while
consumers appreciated pasta samples with 10% purslane. Chemical analysis highlighted that the addition of
purslane gave pasta samples the potential to be a functional food, due ?-linonenic fatty acid concentration,
antioxidant activity and total phenols content. The influence of the origin of purslane used to enrich pasta was
evident: the "Cassibile" purslane supplemented spaghetti showed the highest content of linoleic and ?-linolenic
acids and the highest antioxidant activity.