Fresh pasta is a very common food in Italy and it can be produced by subjecting a semolina-water dough to either to extrusion or lamination (recently under vacuum) to obtain the desired shape. Very little information is available on the effect of shaping on properties of fresh pasta. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the extrusion, lamination and lamination under vacuum on selected fresh pasta physico-chemical properties. Different shaping modes significantly (p < 0.05) affected macroscopic properties. laminated products were more yellow and exhibited lower solids loss during cooking than the extruded products. Laminated fresh pasta was less tenacious and less extensible than extruded fresh pasta. Application of vacuum during lamination improved "fresh pasta quality" indicators: it was more yellow, tenacious and extensible than fresh pasta that underwent traditional lamination. The water status (macroscopic and molecular) of fresh pasta was only slightly affected by the shaping process. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.