Slow drying at low temperatures

Slow drying at low temperatures

Slow drying at low temperatures is the distinctive phase of the Liguori Method. This phase is the most delicate of the entire process and allows the organoleptic properties of the prized 100% Italian raw material to be preserved, guaranteeing a pasta with a unique taste and colour and rigorously al dente. Slow drying at low temperatures guarantees a tenacious pasta, because it preserves the structure of the proteins, preventing denaturation.

THe unique

THe unique

Liguori Method


Slow drying in...


with temperatures never exceeding 69° C

Besides being the outstanding phase of the Liguori Method, this is the most delicate of the entire process and allows the organoleptic properties of the prized 100% Italian raw material to be preserved, guaranteeing a tenacious pasta with a unique taste and colour.

We dry short pasta for 9 hours certified and long pasta for 18 hours certified.


What is the result of slow drying?


Drying consists in the extraction of water, pasta being a dry product.

This extraction must be carried out in a gradual and controlled manner in order to obtain a finished product with the following features:

  1. Chemical-physical and organoleptic parameters (colour, flavour, aroma, proteins, gluten quality) of the finished product can be superimposed on those of the raw material, thanks to conservative processing.
  2. Amber-yellow colour without tending towards orange (because the orange colour denotes an almost “burnt” paste and therefore not dried slowly and at low temperatures).
  3. Cooking strength which does not break down: Liguori pasta maintains its original shape during cooking, furthermore there is no dispersion of starch, guaranteeing a very high level of strength during cooking, thanks to the maintenance of the gluten network of tight meshes, preserved during drying.

How is slow drying carried out?


After being spread on special rods, the long pasta is dried by moving them forward inside the drying tunnel, with a sinusoidal downward movement.

The short pasta is instead distributed on conveyor belts and moved forward inside the drying tunnels, also in this case with a sinusoidal downward movement.

For Pastificio Liguori, respecting the company's know-how made it necessary to structure a slow, low-temperature drying technological process with specially designed and constructed drying lines.

What makes the difference, however, is the very high degree of specialisation of our operators.

In fact, the drying phase takes place according to special “recipes”, designed for each individual format, so as to guarantee that the layer of pasta inside the drying tunnels is traversed, at the right times, by air currents and exposed to the winds, thus favouring heat and steam exchange on every side of the product.

The increase in the exchange surface and the product's resting time make the use of mild technology possible, as there are spaces and surfaces that do not employ strong temperatures for the drying process.

The low temperatures used are aimed at safeguarding the chemical, physical and nutritional values of the finished product.

In fact, at the end of the process, it is possible to highlight how the chemical-physical and nutritional parameters found in the raw material overlap with those of the finished product.

Slow drying preserves the integrity of the proteins and enhances the hold during cooking. It also avoids chemical reactions found at higher temperatures that generate unnatural compounds that give the pasta an intense yellow colour, sometimes tending towards orange.