Associations of sulfur content and protein molecular weight distribution with bread-making quality for patent and mill stream flours in hard red spring wheat grown under sulfur fertilization at two locations

Authors: LIU, YA - North Dakota State University; Ohm, Jae-Bom; WIERSMA, JOCHUM - University Of Minnesota; KAISER, DANIEL - Minnesota State University

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Crop Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2021
Publication Date: 3/1/2021
Citation: Liu, Y., Ohm, J., Wiersma, J., Kaiser, D. 2021. Associations of sulfur content and protein molecular weight distribution with bread-making quality for patent and mill stream flours in hard red spring wheat grown under sulfur fertilization at two locations. Journal of Agricultural and Crop Research. 9(3):60-71.

Interpretive Summary: The sulfur content of wheat grains is associated with protein composition and flour quality characteristics. Little is known regarding the effect of the plant growth environment on variation of flour sulfur content for hard red spring (HRS) wheat. Therefore, this research was performed to investigate the variation of flour sulfur content in an HRS wheat cultivar that was grown in two different locations using three different levels of sulfur fertilizer. Associations between sulfur content and dough mixing and breadmaking quality traits were also investigated. While wheat samples from two locations had different flour sulfur contents, sulfur fertilization levels had no influence on flour sulfur content in individual locations. Flour sulfur content appears to be useful for evaluating flour mixing characteristics because it was significantly associated with those characteristics. Flour mill streams are individual flour subfractions obtained in the wheat milling process and used to blend patent flour to meet commercial specifications. We also investigated the variation of flour sulfur content for individual flour mill streams and found large differences in sulfur content. The results of this study indicate that the plant growth environment influences flour sulfur content, which can lead to changes in mixing and breadmaking quality of HRS wheat flour. Also, flour sulfur content might be useful for evaluating the quality of patent flour and mill streams, which can be used to blend flour samples to meet different commercial specifications for baked products.

Technical Abstract: Background and objectives: Growing environment influences grain sulfur (S) content which associates with quality characteristics in wheat. This research was performed to investigate the variation of flour S content and its associations with protein molecular weight distribution (MWD)and breadmaking quality traits for a hard red spring (HRS) wheat cultivar that was grown in two locations, applying three different levels of S fertilizer. Findings: While two growing locations showed significant difference, S fertilization had no significant influence on flour S content. Flour S content was significantly correlated with flour mixing and dough characteristics. The flour mill streams showed large difference for S content and protein MWD parameters. The S content and protein MWD parameters were also significantly correlated with mixing and breadmaking characteristics for flour mill streams. Conclusions: Growing location influenced flour S content, which associated with change of protein composition, mixing and breadmaking quality in HRS wheat patent flour and mill streams. Significance and Novelty: The findings indicate significant effect of growing location on flour S content. Another implication is that S content can be useful in quality evaluation of mill streams, which can be used to blend flour samples to meet different commercial specification for baked products.