Light filth method on semolina and pasta

Abstract: Samples of semolina and pasta were collected from one mill and one pasta plant in Italy for six and four years respectively. They were analyzed by AOAC light filth method (225 g). Altogether, 195 semolina were collected from 2007 to 2012. The mean number of insect fragments detected during this period was 4.9, and each year, a mean of one first instar larva of Stegobium paniceum (L.) was found. A single mite was detected in only one sample. A total of 156 samples of pasta were analyzed during the period 2009 to 2012 and the mean number of fragments in these samples was 10.1. Mandibles of Sitophilus oryzae (L.) and Tribolium spp. were the most identified filths. Fragments were mainly derived from infestation prior to milling, both in semolina and pasta samples. In fact, fragment size was lower than the granulometry of semolina. Rodent hair was found in few samples.