Know2eat

Durum wheat

Triticum durum

What durum wheat has been studied for

2 associations assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.

  • 2 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About durum wheat

The hard, high-protein tetraploid wheat milled into semolina for pasta and couscous, with a glassy endosperm that fractures into coarse particles rather than fine flour. The USDA reference entry is for the whole dry grain, not for semolina or pasta.

Also known as Semolina wheat, Pasta wheat, Macaroni wheat

Blood Sugar & Metabolic HealthWeight Management

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Insufficient

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood glucose response

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health
Insufficient evidence

Pasta made from durum semolina produces a lower post-meal glucose response than most other refined starch foods, and this has been reproduced across many single-meal trials. The advantage depends on the dense pasta structure and on not overcooking it.

What may be going on: The durum protein matrix formed during extrusion encases starch granules and slows the access of digestive enzymes, independently of fibre content.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Body composition

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited. A meta-analysis of trials in which pasta was eaten within a low-glycaemic-index diet found no weight gain and a small weight reduction, but the trials were not designed to test pasta itself and the funding sources include pasta manufacturers.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Durum wheat

Ask about Durum wheat

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories339 kcal17%
Protein13.7 g27%
Total fat2.47 g3%
Carbohydrate71.1 g26%
Water10.9 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.454 g2%
Monounsaturated fat0.344 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.978 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.93 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.419 mg35%
Riboflavin (B2)0.121 mg9%
Niacin (B3)6.74 mg42%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.935 mg19%
Vitamin B60.419 mg25%
Folate43 µg11%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Minerals
Calcium34 mg3%
Iron3.52 mg20%
Magnesium144 mg34%
Phosphorus508 mg41%
Potassium431 mg9%
Sodium2 mg0%
Zinc4.16 mg38%
Copper0.553 mg61%
Manganese3.01 mg131%
Selenium89.4 µg163%
Other measured compounds
Ash1.78 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Wheat, durum (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169721).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • boiledChanges starch digestibility

    Pasta cooked al dente is digested more slowly than pasta boiled soft, because the dense protein network of durum semolina physically restricts access to the starch. Overcooking removes much of that advantage.

  • cookedIncreases resistant starch

    Cooking pasta then chilling it retrogrades part of the starch into a resistant form, which lowers the glucose response of cold pasta salads and, partly, of reheated pasta.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Avoid

    Durum wheat contains gluten

    Durum is a wheat and its gluten is strong enough to be the reason pasta holds together. It is unsafe in coeliac disease, and it is a leading source of the wheat protein involved in wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis.

  • Worth knowing

    Semolina is a refined fraction

    Most durum reaches the table as semolina, which has had the bran and germ removed. The nutrient panel here is for the whole grain and overstates what refined pasta supplies in fibre and minerals.

  • Worth knowing

    Fructans and IBS

    Durum carries wheat fructans and commonly provokes symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome.