Cholesterol oxidation in dried egg pasta: detecting 7-ketocholesterol content

Modern pasta drying cycles often involve heating at temperatures between 70-90°C for periods that often exceed 10 hr. Under these conditions, cholesterol in dried egg pasta can undergo oxidation. Normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyze the 7-ketocholesterol content, as this compound is a useful index of the oxidation development process. Egg pasta samples manufactured both industrially and by local shops were analyzed ; durum wheat semolina, water, and eggs were the only ingredients. Some of the industrial products, with established high-quality composition and manufacturing technologies, were considered as reference samples. The comparison of analytical results confirmed that cholesterol oxidation can be limited by a careful control of time and temperature parameters employed during drying treatments and by avoiding the use of powdered eggs. Finally, no significant increase in cholesterol oxidation during storage of industrial egg pasta was observed.