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Durum Wheat Products, Couscous

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Wheat Quality For Improving Processing And Human Health

Abstract

Durum wheat is one of the most important cereals grown in semiarid zones such as North Africa, South Europe and Middle East. Pasta and couscous are the most common paste products made from durum wheat. Couscous is one of the most ancient staple foods prepared by Berbers, the native inhabitants of North Africa. Couscous has a symbolic meaning and represents a part of their identity. Couscous quality is determined by two main factors, raw material composition and dough proprieties. Visual appearance, test weight, weight of 1000 kernels, vitreuousness, yellow pigment and grain proteins percentage strongly impacts couscous quality. After milling, particle size, high protein semolina, glutenins and gliadins, dough strength have been shown to influence couscous characteristics.

This chapter summarizes the origin of couscous, and traditional processing methods. The key grain and semolina quality characteristics required for good couscous quality will be discussed. Methods used to assess the eating quality of couscous will also be covered.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to greatly acknowledge Miss Baya Mzoughui Hammami who greeted us and agreed to take pictures while she handmade couscous.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Field Crop Laboratory, National Institute of Agronomic Research of Tunisia – Carthage University, Ariana, Tunisia

    Rifka Hammami

  2. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, Calala, NSW, Australia

    Mike Sissons

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  1. Rifka Hammami
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

    Gilberto Igrejas

  2. Western Region Agricultural Research Cente, NARO, Fukuyama, Japan

    Tatsuya M. Ikeda

  3. Departamento de Genética, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Agronómica y de Montes, Edificio Gregor Mendel Campus de Rabanales, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain

    Carlos Guzmán

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Hammami, R., Sissons, M. (2020). Durum Wheat Products, Couscous. In: Igrejas, G., Ikeda, T., Guzmán, C. (eds) Wheat Quality For Improving Processing And Human Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34163-3_15

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