Italian-style pasta is the focus of the “Pasta: Raw Materials and Processing Technology Short Course,” that will be offered Aug. 8-12 at Northern Crops Institute.

Course participants will process pilot-scale pasta and take part in a cooking exercise to evaluate the final product. During lectures, they will gain technical knowledge about extrusion and drying of pasta products, which is critical for the production of high-quality pasta products.

Speakers will detail raw material quality criteria, specifications and processing variables and their impact on final pasta product. Lecture topics will include variety development and quality characteristics of northern U.S. durum wheat; physical and rheological tests to evaluate durum wheat and semolina quality; durum milling and semolina quality; impact of starch and protein on pasta quality; extrusion and drying of commercial pasta processing; quality control; technology of fresh, frozen and canned pasta manufacturing; and causes and solutions of pasta defects.

The course concludes with a tour of a commercial pasta manufacturing facility.

To register and for more information, visit www.northern-crops.com and follow the educational courses link, or call 1-7736. Registration deadline is July 18. Special rates are available to groups of three or more from the same company. All courses are contingent upon sufficient enrollment numbers.