Genotypic and environmental effects on starch properties of Argentinean wheat flours

Flour and starch characteristics of soft wheat cultivars and their effect on cookie quality

Studies on Argentinian soft wheat cultivars are scarce, although the flours obtained from these wheats are the most suitable for cookie making. This work studies the behavior of the flours obtained from 44 adapted soft wheat lines harvested in two consecutive years for cookie making, focusing on starch properties. Starch granule size distribution, and thermal and pasting properties of flour samples were studied. Large variations in flour and starch characteristics were found between all experimental lines, indicating a wide variability among wheat genotypes and a noticeable effect of crop year conditions. Starch granule size distribution showed the typical bimodal distribution observed for wheat. Flours with higher proportion of large A-type granules were associated with lower damaged starch (DS). As expected, the lower the DS content, the lower the solvent retention capacity, gelatinization temperature and enthalpy, with a positive impact on cookie diameter. Flours from soft wheat genotypes with higher proportion of large A-type granules were associated with lower DS content and reduced water absorption capacity. Both genotype and environment exert an effect on soft wheat flour characteristics.

Effects of high temperatures and drought during anthesis and grain filling period on wheat processing quality and underlying gluten structural changes

BACKGROUND

Climate changes do not only affect wheat yield, but also its quality. Information on this topic gathered so far is somewhat contradictory and insufficient. Climate changes also affect wheat indirectly through their influence on the ecosystem, including insects and fungi that affect wheat technological quality. The aim of this study was to examine trends in structural and technological changes of wheat quality under conditions typical of climate changes. With this in mind, three groups of wheat varieties with the same Glu-score were examined in three production years, characterized by different production conditions.

RESULTS

A production season characterized by climate change conditions results in lower activity of amylolytic enzymes. What is more, it results in lower content of gluten, higher gluten index value, its decrease after 1 h to 37 °C, lower number of free SH groups and higher content of free amino groups, which result in lower alveograph W, lower farinograph WA and higher extensograph dough resistance.

CONCLUSION

Variability in wheat quality produced under different climatic conditions is mainly influenced by the production conditions, including their influence on ecosystem factors. The influence of wheat cultivar genetic predisposition is much less expressed. This indicates that differences among cultivars with different Glu-score might be diminished under the influence of altered production conditions, as a consequence of climate change. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.