The Instant Pasta

 A study by Mauro Moresi from the University of Tuscia, published in the online magazine Pastaria on June 21, 2026, no. 3/2020, pages 50 et seq., explores the topic of instant pasta and specifically compares the sustainability of instant pasta (PI) with that of dried pasta (PS).

 From what I've gathered, it appears that instant pasta cups, in terms of the sustainability of the entire process from factory to table, achieve appreciable sustainability values, roughly comparable to those of industrially produced dry pasta, meaning there would be no loss of sustainability from one type of product to the other. Meanwhile, it appears that instant pasta in half-kilogram bags actually offers enormous environmental benefits, not only in terms of sustainability in terms of lower water consumption and lower CO2 emissions, a characteristic of the product itself, but also in terms of packaging efficiency, which is in line with that of dried pasta.

 Let's now look at the manufacturing process used to make instant pasta: the kneading process replicates the same process as dry pasta, so, say, per kilo of semolina we have 30-35% water, which then, during the drying of dry pasta, gradually drops to 12.5%. For instant pasta, this percentage drops to 7% because the pre-wrapping, which in dry pasta slightly reduces the humidity, just enough to create the glutamine network that maintains the product's shape and then allows the starch to gelatinize into the gluten proteins during the subsequent cooking phase at home, in instant pasta instead leads to the complete gelatinization of the starch in the product.

 In the case of instant pasta, therefore, we have about 10 minutes of pre-wrapping at over 100 degrees. Therefore, as mentioned, the starch gelatinization process is complete.

 As for the packaging, the cups are made of many layers, with materials that must contain more, let's say, from air to the heat from cooking with the addition of a little boiling water. Therefore, the packaging is a little heavier in these terms, and therefore the sustainability index is less favorable in this regard. There is air loss, because the cups contain a good amount of air, which negatively impacts the loss of space and green efficiency. This handicap is offset, however, in home packaging with bags, especially for noodles and Asian-style nests, where the pasta is open but there is essentially no air, and the half-kilogram bag is completely full. And so there is, let's say, no wasted space.

Then we come to the domestic phase: the comparison is clearly in favor of instant pasta, because there you have a liter of water to boil with domestic energy systems, which are less efficient than industrial ones, and therefore lead to greater waste, without even achieving significant product consumption, except in rare cases. Therefore, by saving water, saving energy, and therefore reducing CO2 emissions, we can conclude that instant pasta has a clear advantage over pasta.

To summarize: in terms of water consumption, PI has a clear advantage. What it struggles with, let's say, is the packaging issue, which has the greatest impact, even though the entire evaluation process ultimately results in the packaging impact index being only a few decimal points lower than PS. Therefore, essentially, there's not a significant loss. But there's a huge gain in terms of sustainability, resulting from reduced water waste and lower CO2 emissions.

 Finally, there's the issue of the service incorporated into the product, which makes this market a growing one in Italy, which ranks 48th globally and is growing substantially. Globally, instant noodles are almost as widespread as dried pasta, largely dependent on Asian countries, which rank high in the rankings compiled by WINA (World Instant Noodles Association).

 And the taste?

 My personal opinion is that the texture is quite good, but something better could be done with the flavor and freshness of the sauces. But it's clear that these are two different products: perhaps homemade dried pasta with fresh tomatoes, and a commercial product you can find on the street.