Location: Corn, Soybean and Wheat Quality Research
Project Number: 5082-30600-001-001-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 29, 2025
End Date: Sep 28, 2026
Objective:
To identify the contributions of protein and non-protein wheat flour components to lactic acid solvent retention capacity and determine its relationships with gluten strength and dough properties.
Approach:
The solvent retention capacity (SRC) test was developed to predict the functional properties of soft wheat flour. Sodium carbonate, sucrose and lactic acid SRCs of wheat flour are known to be largely determined by damaged starch content, pentosan content and protein characteristics, respectively. Water SRC is influenced by all flour constituents. In production of crackers, soft wheat flour of low water absorption but relatively strong gluten strength is required. Therefore, eastern US soft winter (ESW) wheat breeders, millers and bakers routinely use lactic SRC test to assess the gluten strength of ESW wheat varieties and identify those suitable for making crackers. Lactic acid SRC test alone, however, often fails to provide a reliable prediction of gluten strength and dough properties of ESW wheat, presumably as they are also significantly affected by non-protein flour characteristics and possibly non-functional protein. Significant differences in processing and end-product quality are often observed between the flours of similar lactic SRCs. Thus, it is necessary to identify the contributions of protein and non-protein wheat flour constituents to lactic acid SRC and determine the relationships of lactic acid SRC with gluten strength and dough properties. Wheat flours exhibiting large differences in protein characteristics will be determined for comprehensive chemical and physical characteristics and related to lactic SRC to identify those affecting the latter. Gluten characteristics and dough properties will be determined and examined for their associations with lactic acid SRC and other flour characteristics. The contributions of flour characteristics to lactic acid SRC, gluten characteristics and dough properties will be elucidated to help millers and bakers better identify wheat grains and flours uniquely suitable for making crackers and other related products.