Flat-pack FOOD is a reality following the creation of a new kind of pasta that morphs into tubes, spirals, twists and waves when cooked.

Made of the same ingredients as normal pasta dough, researchers say this discovery could save on shipping and storage, packaging and reduce waste.

The team also suggested flat pasta may cook faster than already dry tubular pasta, which could help to reduce gas emissions.

About 14.3 million metric tons of pasta is produced annually worldwide, with 22.7 percent of the total being produced in Italy

Around one per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Italy come from cooking pasta alone.

Hoping to bring the food staple into a sustainable 21st century, the team at Carnegie Mellon University in the US developed morphing flat-pack pasta.

They stamped grooves into flat pasta sheets which, when boiled, swelled into penne, rigatoni and farfalle.

Traditional pasta already morphs when cooked, expanding and softening when boiled. The team harnessed these natural properties to create its flat-packed pasta - made of only semolina flour and water.