A simple, four-minute, protein-solubility test for heat damage in wheat

Abstract

A simple, 4 min test for heat-damaged wheat has been developed primarily for use by mills at wheat intake. The test is based on the loss of solubility of proteins in heatdamaged wheat and uses a Coomassie blue G250 staining reagent to measure protein in saline extracts of wholemeal or white flour. Regression of protein solubility on percent heat-damaged wheat resulted in a high coefficient of determination for a wide range of wheat cultivars from several countries grown at various localities throughout the world. There appears to be a good linear relationship between the bread-baking quality of heat-damaged wheat (measuring by loaf volume) and the protein solubility test values for heat-damaged wheat. Bug-damaged wheat, sprout-damaged wheat, fungus-infected wheat and wheat of high or low protein content had values in the protein solubility test corresponding to sound wheats, that is, they did not give a false prediction of heat damage.