Food Processors

Pasta Facts All Food Processors Should Know:

• Standard pasta isn't designed for dry, refrigerated, frozen or retorted products
• Standard pasta can't withstand the rigors of processing and packaging and still perform for the end user
• Zerega pasta - even our stock items are designed to be sturdier to hold up in processing environments
• If you need a special shape, Zerega can design and produce a custom pasta for you, priced in line with standard pasta

Variety in Pasta

Changing the look of your pasta can dramatically change the look of your product and separate it from the crowd. Variety is an important benefit we offer food processors. Zerega simply has far more pasta shapes to choose from.

Need an elbow macaroni? Choose a slightly different elbow -- we make more than a dozen variations on the elbow theme. Searching for just the right shell? We have eight sizes of shells. One quick call and samples will be on their way to you via our 24 hour Sample Service.

Custom Pasta

We work closely with many of the largest food processors on a wide variety of projects including
• Quick cooking microwave meals
• Dry soups and side dishes
• Skillet dinners
• Frozen foods
• Refrigerated salads
• Home meal replacement
• Retorted soups and meals
• Plus steam table products for food service and much more

Projects like these require custom-designed pastas, which we create using a three-step process where we examine

• shape
• size
• ingredients

Shape

Shape is a critical decision that affects appearance, sauce cling, mouth feel and product integrity. If a standard Zerega shape won't do, we'll customize a shape to meet your exact needs using an existing die, or create a new one with a unique die.

Size

Once a shape is selected, size becomes important. Perhaps you require a special size to match other ingredients, or to fit a special package. For example, if you need your Penne to be 3/8" shorter, we cut it that way. If 5" Fettuccine is ideal for your new frozen dinner, we supply it.

Ingredients

Ingredient formulation adds even more flexibility. Additional ingredients are often added to insure pasta cooks al dente. For instance, adding 2% to 7% egg whites dramatically improves the firmness of pasta. An emulsifier such as glycerol monostearate reduces stickiness and improves product integrity.

Contact us with your food processing questions or for more information on any Zerega product.