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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Wooster, Ohio » Corn, Soybean and Wheat Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #412006
Research Project: Enhancement of Eastern U.S. Wheat Quality, Genetics and Marketability

Location: Corn, Soybean and Wheat Quality Research

Title: High-molecular-weight glutenin subunit profiles of eastern U.S. soft winter wheat desirable for making soft-bite white salted noodles

Author
item MA, FENGYUN - The Ohio State University
item Baik, Byung-Kee

Submitted to: Cereal Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/17/2024
Publication Date: 7/3/2024
Citation: Ma, F., Baik, B.V. 2024. High-molecular-weight glutenin subunit profiles of eastern U.S. soft winter wheat desirable for making soft-bite white salted noodles. Cereal Chemistry. 1-13. Article 10813. https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.10813.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.10813

Interpretive Summary: In the previous study, we determined that eastern U.S. soft winter (ESW) wheat varieties yielding grains with a relatively low damaged starch content, high protein content and high protein strength produce soft-bite white salted noodles (WSN) of acceptable quality. Protein characteristics exhibit a dominant influence on dough sheeting, cooking, and cooked noodle textural properties. High molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS), though only a fraction of the gluten proteins, have a substantial influence on gluten strength, vary widely among ESW wheat varieties, and can be easily identified using molecular markers. Thus, the determination of HMW-GS composition would be an effective and efficient tool for screening breeding lines and for the identification of wheat varieties possessing protein characteristics suitable for making noodles. However, little is known about the role that HMW-GS composition plays in the quality of wheat flour for making WSN and the HMW-GS profiles that are desirable for WSN production. We determined the influence of HMW-GSs of ESW wheat on soft-bite WSN quality and identified HMW-GS profiles desirable for making WSN. We observed that HMW-GSs 2+121 and rye translocations (especially 1BL/1RS) were not desirable for making noodles due to their associations with undesirably weak gluten strength and increased adhesiveness of cooked noodles, respectively. ESW wheat varieties carrying HMW-GS profiles (2*, 7*+8, 5+10), (2*, 7+9, 5+10) or (2*, 13+16, 2+12) were identified as desirable for making WSN because of their contribution to strong gluten strength. These findings are expected to facilitate the screening of wheat breeding lines by wheat breeders and the identification of wheat varieties carrying protein characteristics suitable for making WSN by the milling industry, and to provide useful information for the genetic improvement of ESW wheat.

Technical Abstract: Background and objectives: HMW-GS composition has a significant influence on wheat gluten strength and product quality. Flour protein content and gluten strength required for making soft-bite white salted noodles (WSN) are well established, whereas the association of HMW-GS composition with WSN quality is poorly understood. Eastern U.S. soft winter (ESW) wheat varieties carrying diverse HMW-GS profiles were evaluated for protein characteristics and WSN-making quality and compared to those of commercial noodle flours (CNFs) to identify HMW-GSs desirable for making noodles. Findings: Subunit 2* showed associations with low cooking yield and high hardness of cooked WSN. ESW wheat varieties carrying subunits 2+121 produced WSN with higher cooking loss, and lower hardness and tensile force than those carrying subunits 5+10, 2+12 or 2+10. The 1BL/1RS translocation exhibited an association with increased adhesiveness of WSN. Conclusions: ESW wheat varieties carrying one of three HMW-GS profiles, (2*, 7*+8, 5+10), (2*, 7+9, 5+10) or (2*, 13+16, 2+12), produced WSN of comparable quality to those prepared from CNFs.