It won’t likely meet an Italian grandmother’s approval, but a new pasta being formulated from green banana flour may be the solution that celiac patients have longed for.
Researchers at the University of Brasilia have managed to concoct a tasty blend that holds up well to cooking.
Anyone shopping for gluten-free pasta will tell you that many rice, corn and other noodles fall apart or don’t have quite the right taste or texture when compared to wheat flour pasta.
Green Banana Option
However, a majority of taste-testers – 25 with celiac disease and 50 without – liked the pasta made from ground bananas, egg whites and xanthan and guar gums. The research was published in 2012 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Raquel Botelho, one of the dietititians from the University of Brasilia who worked on the formula, told Reuters that green banana flour may also present a great option for gluten-free breads, biscuits and pizza dough. For now, the team must try to get the pasta from the lab to the grocery store shelf.
The bonus? This celiac-friendly pasta has fewer calories and less fat than whole wheat pasta and would be much cheaper than other gluten-free pastas.
Now that’s something any grandmother would be happy about!
