Transferring research

findings into industry

application

Dr. Craig F. Morris, Director

USDA-ARS

Western Wheat Quality Laboratory

Pullman, Washington, U. S. of A.

Need for new raw materials, consumer foods,

and solutions to processing problems

Research

Breeding

Farmer

Merchandizer

Miller

Food Manufacturer

Consumer

Research, new traits and new varieties –

new and more consistent raw materials

Research

Breeding

Farmer

Merchandizer

Miller

Food Manufacturer

Consumer

Wheat is used in a nearly limitless

variety of foods and is the

leading cereal for human consumption

Humans have „interacted‟ with wheat

for thousands of years

We have influenced wheat evolution

and wheat has influenced us

We have learned to exploit genetic

variation in wheat to make different foods

We now manipulate wheat to expand the

ways in which we can utilize it

Milling and end-use

quality of wheat results

from the composition

of the kernel, and

especially the

endosperm, but the

bran is becoming more

important

Grain composition and physical

features also result from an

interaction between the „genotype‟

and the environment in which

the plant grows

We should think of milling and

end-use quality as „phenotypes‟ that

are genetically based, and that

we can understand and

manipulate in the same way as,

say, disease resistance

Breeding for quality should be no

more mysterious than breeding for

rust resistance

There is no absolute

definition of wheat or flour quality

End-use quality of wheat is defined

by milling performance, processing efficiency,

and specific end-uses

for example, bread vs. noodles vs. cake

We often want to measure wheat „quality‟

-- to quantify the physical

and chemical differences

Measurement of quality

always involves some error

and depends on the instrument/method

being used

Our aim is to predict

commercial processing and

end-product quality

through small-scale

laboratory tests

These tests may target one constituent/

trait or aim to sum a number of traits

Major end-use quality traits of wheat

* kernel texture - „hardness‟

also kernel color, size, shape

* milling performance - particle size,

starch damage, flour yield, etc.

* gluten strength & amount

* water absorption

* arabinoxylans - „pentosans‟

* starch pasting / amylose content

* pigments / color

* enzymes - PPO, α-amylase, etc.

puroindoline haplotype (Pina-D1 / Pinb-D1)

→ puroindoline a and b expression

→ kernel texture differences

→ flour starch damage/granularity

→ dough water relations

→ processing and baking performance

→ end-product quality

Genetic „cascade‟ for quality

example: puroindoline gene expression

Two examples of transferring research

findings into industry application

(and applying an understanding

of industry needs into research activities)

Both involve challenging some

pre-conceptions of kernel texture and quality

* An end-use quality model for soft wheat

* Development of soft durum

Why soft wheat?

Why hard wheat?

When hexaploid wheat was first formed,

it was soft, and soft wheats reached

Europe, China, Japan, Canada,

the U.S., and Australia first

So why hard wheat?

The answer has almost nothing to do with

quality, and yet everything to do with quality

Historical context:

When people migrate, they usually take

their possessions with them,

including their crops

Raising something is better than raising nothing

Disease resistance, and adaptation to

other biotic and abiotic stresses is key

to growing food

Neolithic wheat movement (soft)

Early colonial wheat movement (soft)

Late 1800‟s wheat movement (hard)

Hard wheats ascended because:

1) they were disease resistant and well

adapted to heat and drought

(not because they were hard)

2) they also happened to have stronger gluten

and made superior bread

3) invention of the purifier, “high milling”

and then the steel roller mill facilitated

their technological adoption

The current model for soft wheat quality:

Soft kernel

High break flour yield

Low pentosans (arabinoxylans)

These tend to produce fine-textured flours

with low starch damage and

low water absorption

(cf. large AACCI cookie diameters)

What else would we like?

Gluten strength?

Sometimes weak, but not always

Good cake quality?

difficult to define/predict –must bake a cake

White bran?

Generally preferred, but preferred

in hard wheats, too

Low PPO?

Good for soft and hard wheats

Partial waxy/reduced amylose?

Depends on the use --

For udon soft bite noodles, absolutely

Pigments?

Consumer preference

(cf. pasta/semolina)

What else?

How about price?!

Aug. 2012 local delivery,

Pullman, Washington:

Soft white $327/metric ton

Hard red winter $351

Hard red spring $379

What are you paying for?

Kernel hardness?

No. First, wheat that will process on your mill,

but more importantly, gluten strength

Local Washington prices:

Hard red spring wheat –target of 14% protein

For each 1% above, +$3/ton

For each 1% below, -$10/ton

Bakery flour $660/mt

Vital wheat gluten $1,000/mt

So the baker should be thinking:

“What is the cheapest way to buy gluten strength?”

“How much strength do I really need?”

Gluten strength has little if anything to do

with kernel texture

Evolving model for soft wheat quality

Are soft wheats going to get stronger?

Yes.

Do we need some weak-gluten wheats?

Yes.

The question will be,

“How will we segregate the market?”

Second example of transferring

research findings into

industry application

Development of soft durum

Acknowledgements: Leonard Joppa, Marco

Simeone, Domenico Lafiandra,

Jeff Casper, Jodi Engleson

Durum is characterized by its very hard kernel texture

Soft hexaploid Hard hexaploid Durum semolina

Kernel texture influences damaged starch

and flour granularity

Conventional thinking:

“Durum wheat is used to make pasta because of

its hard nature, which produces a firm cooked

product. Semolina is coarsely ground durum

with a texture somewhat like sugar. It is the best

product for pasta.”

- U.S. National Association of Wheat Growers

Most durum is milled into semolina

Semolina has 4-5% damaged starch

Semolina particle size is about 3-4x that of

regular flour

Semolina is expensive

Current situation:

* Larger particles require longer hydration times

* Reducing particle size creates higher starch

damage

* Higher starch damage requires increased water

* High water absorption increases production

costs, mixing and drying times, and energy

requirements

* Non-uniform particle size results in uneven

hydration and pasta defects

Issues with standard durum:

So why is durum hard?

By design?

No.

It was an accident of nature

Can we make durum soft?

Absolutely!

* Commercial milling trial has been conducted

* Soft durum mills like soft wheat

* SDF has the particle size distribution of soft wheat

flour with similar low starch damage

* Ash content equivalent to soft wheat flour

* Power required to mill is significantly reduced

* No need for complex milling flow required to

produce semolina

Soft durum milling properties

are similar to soft wheat

Durum flour Soft Durum Flour

500 μm 500 µm

100 µm 100 µm

* Wheat SKCS = 24.0

* 17% wheat protein; 15.5% flour protein; ash 0.57%

* Median flour particle size 57 microns

* The SDF had starch and gluten that was similar to

semolina based on testing in the Farinograph,

Alveograph, and Rapid Visco Analyzer

* Optimum paste water absorption 28-29%

(14% m.b.) vs. 32% for semolina

Pilot Scale Pasta Tests

This shows defects of normal commercial

semolina at the very low 28-29% water absorption …

note the white strands with uneven water absorption.

This defect was not observed in the SDF

Checking observed in semolina pasta but not SDF

* Pasta can be produced with 10-15% less water

* Drying rates are similar; lower absorption translates

into shorter drying times and energy savings

* Pasta trials: SDF is as good as or better than semolina

* Lower cooking loss

* Firmer cooked product over longer cook times

(cooking tolerance)

* Reduced propensity for checking (packaging)

Soft durum makes high quality pasta

Soft durum flour can be used to make bakery

products with novel yellow color, richer flavor

and chewier texture than traditional baking flours

Gluten strength of SDF is the same as durum

wheat in general (no D-genome)

Soft durum can make novel bakery products

HRS bread (L), Soft durum pan bread (R)

To millers:

- Do not need dedicated durum assets;

higher throughput, higher yields(?)

To pasta manufacturers:

- Reduced energy consumption

To bakers:

- New and appealing artisan breads,

pizza products , etc.

Key benefits of Soft Durum:

Thank you!