Milling Journal - Q2 2008 - (Page 40) Pasta on the Prairie NCI April short course helps pasta producers know durum wheat. Take 24 pasta makers, put them in the Northern Crops Institute, add some durum wheat and a little water and you have a recipe for a learning curve. Twenty-four U.S. pasta manufacturers were found making pasta at the Northern Crops Institute (NCI), Fargo, ND while they attended the Pasta Production and Technology Short Course, that ran from April 15 to 17. Through pilot-scale processing, the course participants were able to apply what they learned in the lectures to the pasta manufacturing process, from extrusion to drying. “We’ve been offering this course at NCI since 1984, and each year we are pleasantly surprised by how many industry people it attracts,” says Brian Sorenson, NCI Director and an instructor in the course. (See interview with Sorenson on p. 32.) “Pasta is a very exciting segment of the food industry right now. There is a lot of interest not only in traditional pasta, but also in different types of pasta products such as fresh and frozen pasta, and in incorporating nontraditional ingredients such as flax, peas, lentils, whole wheat and other grains into pasta.” “People are very interested in learning more about the utilization of durum wheat from this region and how to make the best quality pasta. “The course helps us promote these crops by showing people how to create new and innovative products that appeal to consumers, even though pasta has been around for a long, long time,” Sorenson said. Participants at NCI’s Pasta Short Course trim pasta before putting it in the dryer. 40 Second Quarter 2008 Response No. 401 MILLING JOURNAL
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