The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical and physical characteristics of fresh egg pasta samples obtained by using two different production methodologies: extrusion and lamination. The results of the study demonstrate that products have different characteristics in terms of colour and level of gelatinization, while they do not show significant differences with regard to the amount of absorbed water during the cooking stage. It was evaluated that it is possible to discriminate the two kinds of products by using FT-NIR spectroscopy. FT-NIR analysis results suggest the presence of a different matrix-water association, a diverse level of starch gelatinization and a distinct starch-gluten interaction in the two kinds of pasteurised samples. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.