Pasta is a pre-prepared food item, which is procured from durum wheat flour, mixed with water and then shaped according to desired forms in the process of drying.

Today, among wheat-based industrial products, pasta is a close second behind bread in terms of its production volume, as well as in terms of its nutritional value. However, the consumption of wheat in the form of pasta has increased over the years to a level comparable to bread consumption. The reason behind this increase of pasta is linked to the fact that it is a food item with a long shelf-life, has a wide variety of products, easy methods of preparation, a great taste, and inexpensive.

According to the Turkish Food Codex Pasta Notification, pasta has to be prepared from a mixture of semolina acquired from durum wheat and water. Semolina, procured from Triticum Durum wheat, is the basic raw material used in the industrial production of pasta. The pasta quality of durum wheat can be determined by such specifications as the physical characteristics of the individual grains, the endosperm structure, the amount of protein, the enzyme function and the pigment content. The difference between hard and soft wheat is that semolina is procured from durum wheat to be used in the production of pasta, whereas flour is produced from soft wheat, which is, in turn, used in the preparation of bread, sweets and sour pastries.

Among the factors that influence the quality of the pasta produced comes primarily the quality of the durum wheat used to generate semolina, as well as the use of advanced technology. Before wheat destined for pasta production can be turned into semolina, the physical structure of the wheat grains used will have to be brought into a state conducive to be ground.

The main difference between semolina and flour has to do with the quality of the gluten content. Whereas the gluten found in durum wheat is firm, the gluten encountered in soft wheat is soft. The gluten membrane found in semolina is very dense, as if having been knitted in the shape of a wire, and a high quality degree in gluten increases the quality of the pasta.

Moreover, the colour of high quality pasta has to be of a gold-like hue and the pasta should produce a clear snapping sound when broken. When viewed against the light, the colour of pasta should be homogeneous (without any traces of black and white points, with no dots caused by excess air or splits), and pasta should be firm yet flexible at the on-set of being cooked. If the gluten is of high quality, a membrane should be formed around the starch, and in this way the starch will be prevented from exiting the pasta and thus prevent it from being sticky. Pasta will achieve its double weight and volume by fully absorbing the water. The volume of the semolina particles is one of the most important factors affecting the quality of the pasta. Homogeneous mid-sized semolina, which does not contain flour, is preferred in the production of high quality pasta.