Effects of Heat Stress and Cultivar on the Functional Properties of Starch in Chinese Wheat

Abstract

Heat stress during the grain‐filling stage is a major limiting factor for improving Chinese wheat production, and its effect on functional properties of flours and starches in 10 leading cultivars from the Yellow and Huai Valleys grown under normal and heat‐stress environments was investigated. Heat stress during the grain‐filling stage decreased total starch content but increased protein and lipid contents of wheat grains. Amylose content of wheat starch was little altered under a heat‐stress environment. Heat stress did not significantly change swelling power and starch solubility of wheat starches but significantly decreased swelling power of wheat flours. Pasting viscosities of wheat starches and flours were affected differentially by heat stress. Heat stress had a significant effect on gelatinization and retrogradation properties of starches. The in vitro enzymatic digestibility of wheat starches was affected slightly by heat stress. Analysis of variance indicated that heat stress had a significant effect on some functional properties of starch and flour, although the largest source of variability in these properties was cultivar.