Frozen and Unfrozen Water Contents of Wheat Flours and Their Components

The properties of frozen and unfrozen water in two different wheat flours (hard and soft), and in their main components (gluten, starch, damaged starch, water‐soluble and water‐insoluble pentosans), were described using modulated differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). As a reference, enthalpy values of crystallization (298 J/g) and melting (335 J/g) of pure water were determined from the total heat flow curves. The separation of thermal events between the reversing and nonreversing heat flows with modulated DSC was not effective due to disturbances in the modulated temperature scan. For wheat flours and their components, linear regressions described well the changes in frozen water content calculated from enthalpies of freezing (R² = 0.970–0.982) or melting (R² = 0.783–0.996). The unfrozen water content (UFWC) calculated for the hard wheat flour (29–31%, db) was close to that calculated for the soft wheat flour (30–32%). The UFWC of wheat gluten (38–47%), starch (38–42%), damaged starch (37–40%), water‐soluble pentosans (51%), and water‐insoluble pentosans (40–44%) were higher than the corresponding values for the flours. The simple summation of the contributions of each component cannot be used to estimate the overall behavior of flours.     

Comparison of Small and Large Deformation Measurements of Whole Meal Rye Doughs

The rheological properties of rye flour-water-salt doughs prepared from different flour types (different falling number and coarseness) at different water levels were studied after mixing and after 90 min of incubation (30°C and 80% rh). Both the effect of water and the coarseness of the flour had significant effects on storage modulus (G′) measured by oscillatory test in the linear viscoelastic region and on compressional force measured at large deformation. The results of the two rheological methods correlated very well with each other (correlation coefficients varied in the different doughs at r = 0.975–0.999). Dough rheological measurements suggested that falling number did not have a statistically significant effect on dough rheology after mixing or incubation. Although the two rheological methods correlated well, the responses for incubation were different. In the small deformation method, the storage modulus of all doughs, independent of the falling number, decreased during incubation, whereas in the large deformation method, only the hardness of doughs made from flours with lower falling number decreased during incubation. The rheological measurements of doughs after mixing and the viscosity measurements of flourwater suspension at 30 and 40°C did not correlate with each other. Total pentosans have great effect on viscosity measurements of flour-water suspensions, whereas flour particle size and soluble pentosans correlated more with rheological properties of doughs (r = 0.851 between G′ and soluble pentosans).     

Use of Elongational Viscosity to Estimate Cookie Diameter

Cookie diameter is a function of spread rate and set time during baking. Dough viscosity appears to control cookie spread rate and, thus, will affect final cookie diameter. The technique of lubricated uniaxial compression was used to measure the elongational viscosity of cookie dough. Full-formula cookie doughs made with a commercial hard wheat flour had a significantly higher elongational viscosity (5.88 × 10⁶ ± 9.17 × 10⁴ Pa·S) than cookie doughs made with a commercial soft wheat flour (2.17 × 10⁶ ± 1.05 × 10⁴ Pa·S). Elongational viscosity correlated significantly (P < 0.05) with the diameter (r = -0.796) of cookies made with flours from various soft wheat cultivars. Using a simplified cookie formula decreased the testing time without greatly changing the correlation coefficient (r = -0.738). Thus, lubricated uniaxial compression appears to be an appropriate technique to measure the viscosity of cookie doughs and may be useful for predicting the cookie baking quality of soft wheat flours.     

Relationships Among Grain Hardness,Pentosan Fractions,and End‐Use Quality of Wheat

Grain texture (hardness) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major determinant of end‐usage. Variation in grain texture can be conceptually assigned to the two major hardness classes that result from the action of one major gene (Hardness) or to as‐yet undetermined factors contributing to residual variation within hardness classes. Identifying the physicochemical basis of both sources of texture variation could provide a means of better controlling or manipulating this quality trait. Pursuant to this objective, the role of pentosans was examined. Pentosan fractions (membrane‐associated, total, and soluble) were isolated from 13 hard and 13 soft wheat samples and their flours. Among the hard wheat samples, pentosans had a minimal role in modifying grain hardness. However, among the soft wheat samples, pentosans appeared to have a significant hardness‐modifying effect that carried over into end‐use quality. Among the soft wheat samples, pentosan fractions, along with wheat protein, accounted for 53–76% of the variation in grain texture, depending on the method used to quantify texture. Membrane‐associated pentosans were the most influential single parameter in modeling grain texture for the soft wheat samples. Membrane‐associated pentosans were most influential in accounting for variation (69%) in alkaline water retention capacity. Total pentosans, together with flour protein, accounted for 87% of the variation in cookie diameter for soft wheat samples, with the total pentosan fraction being the more influential.     

Comparison of Asian Noodles from Some Hard White and Hard Red Wheat Flours

Asian noodles were prepared by an objective laboratory method that included adding optimum water to the dry ingredients, mixing the ingredients to homogeneous salt distribution, and sheeting of the dough under low shear stress. The lightness (L*) values of alkaline‐ and salt‐noodle doughs made from 65% extraction hard white wheat flours (except KS96HW115 flour at ≈70% extraction) were higher than those from 60% extraction hard red wheat flours (except Karl 92 flour at ≈70% extraction). A hard white spring wheat, ID377s, and a Kansas line of hard white winter wheat, KS96HW115, to be released in 2000, gave the highest L* values for dough sheets stored for 2 and 24 hr at 25°C. Cooking losses were 5–9 percentage points higher for alkaline noodles than salt noodles, but the cooking yields of the two types of Asian noodles were almost the same. Cooked alkaline noodles made from a high‐swelling flour (SP₉₃≈21 g/g) gave higher tensile strength than those made from several low‐swelling flours (SP₉₃ ≈15 g/g) with the same protein contents (≈12.5%). However, the cooked salt noodles gave the same tensile strength.     

Flour Protein Composition and Functional Properties of Transgenic Rye Lines Expressing HMW Subunit Genes of Wheat

Flours from nonsprouted (ns) kernels and dried sprouted (s) kernels of transgenic rye expressing HMW glutenin subunits (HMW‐GS) 1Dy10 (L10) or 1Dx5+1Dy10 (L5+10) from wheat were compared with flours from the corresponding wildtype rye (Lwt). The crude protein content of nonsprouted flours ranged from 9.2% (Lwt) to 10.4% (L5+10) and was lowered by ≈1% due to sprouting. Flour proteins were separated into albumins/globulins, prolamins, and glutelin subunits by a modified Osborne fractionation and into SDS‐soluble and insoluble fractions. Portions of the prolamin fractions were reduced in the same manner as glutelins. The different fractions were then characterized and quantified by RP‐HPLC on C₈ silica gel. The proportion of albumins/globulins did not significantly differ between transgenic lines and wildtype. The proportions of alcohol‐insoluble glutelins and SDS‐insoluble proteins drastically increased in transgenic rye due to a shift of HMW and γ‐75k secalins into the polymeric fractions. Significant differences in the proportion of highly polymeric proteins between nonsprouted and sprouted flours could not be detected. The quantitative data demonstrated that the expression of HMW‐GS led to a higher degree of polymerization of storage proteins in rye flour. The HMW‐GS combination 1Dx5+1Dy10 showed stronger effects than 1Dy10 alone. The analyzed flours contained two HMW secalins (R1, R2), whose amino acid compositions were closely related to those of 1Dy10 and 1Dx5, respectively. The amounts of R1 in Lwt flours determined by RP‐HPLC were 221 mg (ns) and 186 mg (s) per 100 g and those of R2 were 344 mg (ns) and 298 mg (s), respectively. These amounts increased to 240 mg (ns)/201 mg (s) (R1) and 479 mg (ns)/432 mg (s) (R2) in L10 flours. In L5+10 flours, the amount of R1 decreased to 150 mg (ns)/132 mg (s) while R2 increased to 432 mg (ns)/338 mg (s). The amount of HMW‐GS 1Dy10 was almost the same as that of R2 in L10 flours but was strongly increased in L5+10 flour (633 mg [ns]/538 mg [s]). HMW‐GS 1Dx5 was, by far, the major subunit in L5+10 flours (987 mg 7[ns]/896 mg [s]). The summarized amounts of all HMW subunits increased from ≈0.5 g (Lwt) to ≈1.1 g (L10) and ≈2.0 g (L5+10). Thus only L10 flours were similar to wheat flours in HMW subunit content. The baking performance of L10 flour determined by a microbaking test was improved compared with Lwt flour, whereas L5x10 flour showed very poor properties obviously due to the strongly increased proportion of highly cross‐linked glutelins. The breadmaking quality of flours from 1Dy10 seeds and wildtype seeds was reduced by the same degree when flours from sprouted seeds were analyzed.     

Measuring Oxidative Gelation of Aqueous Flour Suspensions Using the Rapid Visco Analyzer

The Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) was investigated as a tool to measure oxidative gelation capacity (OGC) of aqueous wheat flour suspensions. One club wheat patent flour was used to determine optimal hydration time, and 33 straight‐grade flours (representing 12 hard and 21 soft varieties) were used to observe varietal differences in OGC. A 33.3% w/w flour–water suspension was tested in the RVA at 30°C and 160 rpm for 1 min to establish the flour–water baseline viscosity, and then 65 μL of 3% H₂O₂ was added and the viscosity of the suspension measured at 160 rpm for a further 5 min. Flour from the club wheat showed that 20 min of prehydration was needed to observe full OGC potential. For the 33 straight‐grade flours, final RVA water baseline viscosity was correlated with Bostwick Consistometer (BC) flow (r = −0.93, P ≤ 0.01), and RVA H₂O₂ peak viscosity was correlated with H₂O₂ BC flow (r = –0.81, P ≤ 0.01). The RVA was able to differentiate H₂O₂‐reactive from nonreactive flours. The RVA can observe phenomena not observable with the BC method (e.g., viscosity reduction over time at constant shear rate), which can provide potentially valuable additional information about the nature of OGC in wheat flour suspensions.     

Comparison of Antioxidant Components and Activity of Buckwheat and Wheat Flours

Plant phenolics and tocopherols content were determined in light and wholegrain buckwheat and wheat flour. Antioxidant activity of flours were comparatively assessed by scavenging activity on 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH^•), hydroxyl (^•OH), and superoxide anion (O₂^•–) radicals, reducing activity, and chelating activity on Fe²⁺. Rutin, quercetin, and ferulic acid were quantified in both buckwheat flours, while ferulic acid was quantified in wholegrain wheat flour. Significantly higher content of phenolics and tocopherols was found in buckwheat than in wheat flours. Tocopherols in buckwheat flours were present in the order: γ‐ > α‐>> δ‐tocopherol, and in wheat flours: α‐ > γ‐ >> δ‐tocopherol. Buckwheat flours possessed better scavenging abilities on DPPH^•, ^•OH and O₂^•– radicals, as well as better reducing activity, while wheat flours showed better chelating activity on Fe²⁺, according to IC₅₀ values. Results suggest the possibility of improving the antioxidant properties of wheat‐based food products through addition of buckwheat flour.     

Sequential Acid,Alkaline, and Enzymatic Modifications of Chickpea and Lentil Flours Impacted Batter Physical Properties

The effect of sequential acid, alkaline, and enzymatic treatment of chickpea and lentil flours on batter rheological properties was investigated. Substitution of wheat with disrupted chickpea and lentil flours significantly (P < 0.05) increased water‐holding capacity from 66.8% in wheat flour to more than 70.0% based on the disruption treatment, indicating an improved adhesion of coated batter. Flow behavior index of batter treatments of partially replaced wheat flour with various ratios of disrupted chickpea and lentil flours ranged from 0.88 to 1.36 and was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the flour (i.e., 2.15) and nondisrupted control (i.e., 1.28–1.38 for chickpea and 1.22–1.28 for lentil) flours. Consistency coefficients of disrupted chickpea and lentil flours were significantly (P < 0.05) greater when replacing wheat control, indicating a best fit for the shear‐thickening model. Flour disruption decreased the treatment's pasting properties, except the setback, providing support for the significant role of proteins in dictating the pasting characteristics of batter flour treatments. Results of this study suggested a potential use for treated chickpea and lentil flours in enhancing batter rheological properties including adhesion and water‐holding capacity.     

Effects of Falling Number Sample Weight on Prediction of α‐Amylase Activity

Reports vary on the effects of falling number (FN) sample weight on test precision, reproducibility, and predictability of α‐amylase activity. Straight grade flours of 200 samples (25 cultivars × 2 locations × 2 N₂ levels × 2 repetitions) were assayed for α‐amylase activity and FN. Location significantly affected α‐amylase activity and FN values. The coefficients of variation (CV) for the FN tests were 5.75, 2.12, 1.93, 1.72, 4.27, and 14.47%, when assayed with sample weights of 7, 6, 5.5, 5, 4.5, and 4 g, respectively. The FN test with the greatest reproducibility between sample replicates (lowest LSD and highest ratio of range/LSD) was also produced using the 5‐g sample weight. By reducing FN sample weight from 7 to 5 g, FN values that averaged 350 sec, considered essentially sound, averaged 215 sec, thus shortening the FN test time by an average of 2 min and 15 sec when assaying sound wheat flour. The results suggest a review of the 7‐g stipulation of AACC Approved Method 56‐81B for FN in favor of reduced sample weight.     

Zinc Diffusion and Self-Diffusion Coefficient in Alkaline Soils as Affected by Soil Properties and Zinc Carrier

The apparent diffusion coefficients, D_p/b+ø, of Zn and ZnEDTA were linear functions of added Zn, and were related to the adsorption and fixation capacities of soils rather than their pH. Lower apparent diffusion coefficient values were found in an Haplustoll soil that had higher clay and humus contents inspite of its lower pH. At comparable rates of added Zn, the apparent diffusion of ZnEDTA was 930–1010 (Bakyria), 700–1330 (Dirab), and 730–1880 (Baha) times that of Zn in the soils. The adsorbed Zn per cm³ of soil/Zn per cm³ of the equilibrium solution at the water content existing in the diffusion experiment approximated the capacity factor and was determined by extrapolation. The self-diffusion coefficient of Zn in Baha soil (5 × 10^?7 cm²sec^?1) of higher clay and water content was higher than in Bakyria or Dirab soil (2 × 10^?7 cm²sec^?1). These values were similar to the self-diffusion coefficient of P in soils of similar texture at similar water content.     

Extrusion of Regular and Waxy Barley Flours for Production of Expanded Cereals

Grains of two regular and two waxy barley cultivars were milled into break and reduction stream flours using a wheat milling mill, granulated to facilitate feeding and flow through the barrel, and extruded to form expanded products using a modified laboratory single‐screw extruder. As moisture content of barley granules decreased from 21 to 17%, the expansion index of extrudates increased from 1.81 to 2.68, while apparent modulus of compression work (AMCW) decreased from 17.1 × 10⁴ to 7.8 × 10⁴ N/m². Break stream flours of both regular and waxy barley produced extrudates with higher expansion index (2.72–3.02), higher water absorption index (WAI), and lower AMCW than extrudates from reduction stream flours. Extrudates produced from regular barley had generally higher expansion and lower density than those produced from waxy barley. The specific mechanical energy (SME) was greater during extrusion of regular than of waxy barley. Barrel temperatures of 130, 150, and 170°C for the feeding, compression, and metering sections, respectively, resulted in higher SME, higher expansion index, lower water absorption index and lower AMCW of extrudates compared with a constant extruder barrel temperature of 160°C. Increased screw speed generally resulted in larger expansion index and increased WAI of extrudates. With increased feed rate from 89 to 96 g/min, the expansion index of extrudates decreased from 3.20 to 2.78 in regular barley and 3.23 to 2.72 in waxy barley, and harder extrudates were produced.     

Hydration Dynamics of Durum Wheat Endosperm as Studied by Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Soaking Experiments

The precise knowledge of the kinetics of water transport in durum wheat endosperm is a prerequisite for the optimization of wheat processing techniques like pasta dough mixing on a fundamental basis. Pieces of endosperm were cylindrically cut, prepared from durum wheat kernels, and used to study the water uptake by applying a gravimetric method and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The total water uptake of endosperm cylinders at different soaking times was determined by gravimetric soaking experiments and revealed a swelling limit of ≈40 g/100 g wb after 60 min. With these results it was possible to estimate an apparent diffusion coefficient of water in durum endosperm by using numerical simulation based on a diffusion model (D_25°C ~ 0.76 × 10^–10 m²/sec). MRI was used to quantify the water distribution in the endosperm cylinders over time at excess and limited water conditions. The calibration of MRI for the quantification of local and time‐dependent water contents was successful by correlating the spin‐spin relaxation time (T₂) with the water content of calibration samples at intermediate moisture levels (19–45 g/100 g wb). Water content maps were generated and showed the kinetics of water distribution inside the endosperm cylinders up to equilibrium conditions. The water uptake of the endosperm cylinders over time, as measured by MRI, fitted well to the water uptake as determined gravimetrically in soaking tests, which validated the applied MRI calibration and measurement procedures. The results allow the quantitative prediction of water transport properties of durum wheat endosperm during moistening procedures.     

Phenolic Content,Antioxidant Activity,and Consumer Acceptability of Sorghum Cookies

Cookies were produced from different sorghum flours to determine their potential as vectors of antioxidants. Different sorghum cultivars and their flour extraction rates were evaluated for their effects on phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the cookies. Consumer acceptance of the sorghum cookies was compared with that of wheat flour cookies. For each sorghum cultivar, cookies of 100% extraction rate flours had two to three times more total phenolics compared with those of 70% extraction rate flours, while antioxidant activity was 22–90% higher. Cookies of the condensed tannin sorghum had two to five times more phenolics compared with those of condensed tannin‐free sorghum. Antioxidant activity was 145–227 μMol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g in cookies of condensed tannin sorghum compared with 10–102 μMol TE/g in those of condensed tannin‐free sorghum. The sorghum flours had slightly higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity values than their corresponding cookies. Cookies of the red tannin‐free sorghum flours (PAN 8564/8446) were equally liked as wheat flour cookies, except for texture. However, cookies of condensed tannin sorghum were least accepted compared with wheat flour cookies despite their high antioxidant activity.     

Assessment of Oriental Noodle Appearance as a Function of Flour Refinement and Noodle Type by Image Analysis

Fresh alkaline and white salted noodle sheets prepared from patent and straight‐grade flours of the western Canadian wheat class Canadian Prairie Spring White (CPSW), Karma and Vista, were visually characterized by image analysis over a 24‐hr period. In both cultivars, the number of specks increased with time although the actual numbers were significantly influenced by both detection size and sensitivity. Maximum speck generation was observed in Karma's straight‐grade kansui noodle sheets, increasing from 12.9 specks/cm² at 1 hr to 58.0 after 24 hr. Lowest speck numbers were observed in Vista's patent white salted noodle sheets with 4.5 specks/cm² at 1 hr increasing to 5.6 after 24 hr. The image analysis system was able to show that in combination with a significant cultivar effect, both flour refinement and noodle type significantly influenced the number of discolored specks detected over time. Straight‐grade flours yielded more specks than the patent flours, while salted noodle sheets consistently had fewer specks compared with their kansui noodle sheets at all time intervals. No differences were detected in the average size of the specks due to cultivar or noodle type in the patent flour noodle sheets. Noodle sheets made from Karma straight‐grade flour had significantly larger specks than noodle sheets made from Vista's straight‐grade flour for both noodle types. Patent flour kansui specks were lighter than their salted counterparts. Straight‐grade noodle specks were darker than their corresponding patent flours, but this difference was significant only in the kansui noodle sheets. Specks of all noodle sheets were characterized by darkness distribution profiles that highlighted key differences between the wheat cultivar samples due to noodle type and flour refinement.     

SDS-Protein Gel Test for Prediction of Bread Loaf Volume

Flour dispersed in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) forms a proteinaceous gel when centrifuged at high speed. The conventional methodology for SDS gel testing was modified to develop a small-scale (<1 g of flour or wheat meal) screening test for evaluation of the protein quality of wheat for breadmaking. The principal modification involved centrifugation with a swinging-bucket rotor to facilitate direct measurement of gel height, which is the primary test parameter. The effects of suspension temperature and time, centrifugation speed, sample size, and sieving of ground wheat or flour on the efficacy of the test were examined. Gel height, wet weight, and protein content were assessed as test parameters. In the standard test procedure that was developed, 0.67 g of flour or ground whole wheat was dispersed in 13.5 mL of 1.5% SDS solution for 15 min at 20°C, followed by centrifugation at 80,000 × g for 30 min. The test was evaluated using seven Canadian commercial wheat flours with diverse breadmaking quality. For the samples, gel height was strongly related to loaf volume (R² = 0.89 and 0.95 for flour and ground wheat, respectively). Sieving flour through a 75-μm sieve slightly increased the predictive power of the test (R² = 0.94). SDS gel height gave better discrimination of samples for prediction of loaf volume than did the traditional SDS sedimentation test. The performance of the sedimentation test improved when sieved ground wheat was used. The relationship between gel height or protein content and flour protein content was comparatively poor (R² = 0.25). The SDS gel test appears to primarily measure the effects of flour protein quality.     

Significance of Starch Properties and Quantity on Sponge Cake Volume

We evaluated the qualitative and quantitative effects of wheat starch on sponge cake (SC) baking quality. Twenty wheat flours, including soft white and club wheat of normal, partial waxy, and waxy endosperm, as well as hard wheat, were tested for amylose content, pasting properties, and SC baking quality. Starches isolated from wheat flours of normal, single‐null partial waxy, double‐null partial waxy, and waxy endosperm were also tested for pasting properties and baked into SC. Double‐null partial waxy and waxy wheat flours produced SC with volume of 828–895 mL, whereas volume of SC baked from normal and single‐null partial waxy wheat flours ranged from 1,093 to 1,335 mL. The amylose content of soft white and club wheat flour was positively related to the volume of SC (r = 0.790, P < 0.001). Pasting temperature, peak viscosity, final viscosity, breakdown, and setback also showed significant relationships with SC volume. Normal and waxy starch blends having amylose contents of 25, 20, 15, and 10% produced SCs with volume of 1,570, 1,435, 1,385, and 1,185 mL, respectively. At least 70 g of starch or at least 75% starch in 100 g of starch–gluten blend in replacement of 100 g of wheat flour in the SC baking formula was needed to produce SC having the maximum volume potential. Starch properties including amylose content and pasting properties as well as proportion of starch evidently play significant roles in SC baking quality of wheat flour.     

Generation of a Mixolab Profile After the Evaluation of the Functionality of Different Commercial Wheat Flours for Hot‐Press Tortilla Production

Refined wheat flours commercially produced by five different U.S. and Mexican wheat blends intended for tortilla production were tested for quality and then processed into tortillas through the hot‐press forming procedure. Tortilla‐making qualities of the flour samples were evaluated during dough handling, hot pressing, baking, and the first five days on the shelf at room temperature. The predominant variables that affected the flour tortilla performance were wet gluten content, alveograph W (220–303) and P/L (0.70–0.94) parameters, farinograph water absorption (57%) and stability (10.8–18.7 min), starch damage (5.43–6.71%), and size distribution curves (uniform particle distribution). Flours produced from a blend of Dark Northern Spring (80%) and Mexican Rayon (20%) wheat had the highest water absorption, and tortillas obtained from this blend showed the highest diameter and lowest thickness. The whitest and best textured tortillas were obtained from the flour milled from three hard types of Mexican wheat blend. A Mixolab profile was generated from the best tortilla flours, those produced by mills 3 and 4. The Mixolab profile showed that a good flour for hot‐press tortillas had a relatively lower absorption and short dough mix time compared with a bread flour and should have a significantly higher gluten compared with an all‐purpose flour. Compared with bread flour, the tortilla flour had higher retrogradation and viscosity values. The Mixolab profile proved to be a good preliminary test to evaluate flours for hot‐press tortillas.     

Synergistic and Additive Effects of Three High Molecular Weight Glutenin Subunit Loci. II. Effects on Wheat Dough Functionality and End‐Use Quality

Understanding the relationship between basic and applied rheological parameters and the contribution of wheat flour protein content and composition in defining these parameters requires information on the roles of individual flour protein components. The high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW‐GS) proteins are major contributors to dough strength and stability. This study focused on eight homozygous wheat lines derived from the bread wheat cvs. Olympic and Gabo with systematic deletions at each of three HMW‐GS encoding gene loci, Glu‐A1, Glu‐B1, and Glu‐D1. Flour protein levels were adjusted to a constant 9% by adding starch. Functionality of the flours was characterized by small‐scale methods (2‐g mixograph, microextension tester). End‐use quality was evaluated by 2‐g microbaking and 10‐g noodle‐making procedures. In this sample set, the Glu‐D1 HMW‐GS (5+10) made a significantly larger contribution to dough properties than HMW‐GS coded by Glu‐B1 (17+18), while subunit 1 coded by Glu‐A1 made the smallest contribution to functionality. These differences remained after removing variations in glutenin‐to‐gliadin ratio. Correlations showed that both basic rheological characteristics and protein size distributions of these flours were good predictors of several applied rheological and end‐use quality tests.     

Solvent Retention Capacity Values in Relation to Hard Winter Wheat and Flour Properties and Straight‐Dough Breadmaking Quality

Solvent retention capacity (SRC) was investigated in assessing the end use quality of hard winter wheat (HWW). The four SRC values of 116 HWW flours were determined using 5% lactic acid, 50% sucrose, 5% sodium carbonate, and distilled water. The SRC values were greatly affected by wheat and flour protein contents, and showed significant linear correlations with 1,000‐kernel weight and single kernel weight, size, and hardness. The 5% lactic acid SRC value showed the highest correlation (r = 0.83, P < 0.0001) with straight‐dough bread volume, followed by 50% sucrose, and least by distilled water. We found that the 5% lactic acid SRC value differentiated the quality of protein relating to loaf volume. When we selected a set of flours that had a narrow range of protein content of 12–13% (n = 37) from the 116 flours, flour protein content was not significantly correlated with loaf volume. The 5% lactic acid SRC value, however, showed a significant correlation (r = 0.84, P < 0.0001) with loaf volume. The 5% lactic acid SRC value was significantly correlated with SDS‐sedimentation volume (r = 0.83, P < 0.0001). The SDS‐sedimentation test showed a similar capability to 5% lactic acid SRC, correlating significantly with loaf volume for flours with similar protein content (r = 0.72, P < 0.0001). Prediction models for loaf volume were derived from a series of wheat and flour quality parameters. The inclusion of 5% lactic acid SRC values in the prediction model improved R² = 0.778 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 57.2 from R² = 0.609 and RMSE = 75.6, respectively, from the prediction model developed with the single kernel characterization system (SKCS) and near‐infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy data. The prediction models were tested with three validation sets with different protein ranges and confirmed that the 5% lactic acid SRC test is valuable in predicting the loaf volume of bread from a HWW flour, especially for flours with similar protein contents.