ISO 7304-2:2008 specifies a method for assessing, by sensory analysis, the quality of cooked alimentary pasta in the form of spaghetti or macaroni (i.e. long, solid or short, hollow strands) produced from durum wheat semolina, expressed in terms of the starch release, liveliness and firmness characteristics (i.e. texture) of the pasta. It does not apply to pasta in the form of small strands usually consumed in soups.
The method may also be applied to alimentary pasta made from common wheat or a mixture of common wheat and durum wheat, as long as the appropriate national regulations allow these products to be used in alimentary pasta.
The method has been specifically developed to provide a procedure for the daily evaluation of pasta samples based on the use of reference samples obtained by sensory analysis.
The test result does not express a preference, but gives only an estimate of the cooking quality of the pasta after it has been cooked for the optimum cooking time.