Egg pasta

STEROLI AND PASTA WITH EGG: regulatory requirements

The Presidential Decree n.66 of 22 January 2013, recently approved by the Council of Ministers, will make changes to the Presidential Decree 9 February 2001, n. 187- “Regulations for the revision of the legislation on the production and marketing of flour and pasta, in accordance with Article 50 of L. 22 February 1994, n. 146 “.

The definition of egg pasta remains the one reported in Presidential Decree 187/2001: egg pasta must be produced exclusively with semolina and at least four whole eggs of hen, without shell, for a total weight of not less than two hundred grams of egg for every kilogram of semolina.
The eggs can be replaced by a corresponding quantity of liquid egg product made exclusively from whole hen’s eggs, which meets the requirements set by Legislative Decree 4 February 1993, n. 65.

Regarding the analytical determination of the number of eggs in egg pasta, in consideration of the real content of sterols in eggs, the DPR 66 of 22 January 2013 reduces the minimum number of sterols in egg pasta from 0.145 grams referred to 100 parts of dry matter at 0.130 grams referring to 100 parts of dry substance and, consequently, also the ether extract from 2.80 g to 2.50 g.

In order to verify the general situation of the market some samples of producers of fresh, dried and stuffed egg pasta were taken, determining the total sterols by chromatography.