Relationship between Baking and Noodle Quality in Hard White Spring Wheat

Abstract

There is growing interest in the use of hard white wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) for both the production of oriental noodles and making bread. It would be desirable if new hard white wheat cultivars produced flour suitable for both purposes. Our objective was to address the feasibility of developing such dual purpose white wheats. We tested several hard white spring wheat lines grown in three locations in Montana for quality characteristics associated with both end‐use products. The hard white spring wheat lines had bread‐making quality similar to that observed for high quality hard red spring wheat check cultivars. The hard white spring wheat flours differed from Australian Standard White by producing significantly harder noodles that were not as bright, particularly after 24 h of noodle storage. Significant variation existed among the hard white lines for noodle color, suggesting selection during breeding might improve color characteristics. However, superior noodle color was correlated with low protein in two environments and with poor loaf volume in one environment. The challenge facing breeders in the development of dual purpose hard white spring wheats will be to improve noodle characteristics while maintaining good bread‐making qualities.