Selection of cultivars for soft wheat quality. 1. Tests for softness in flour

Abstract

Cultivars are not always placed in the same order in respect of soft wheat quality when grain from different trials is examined. This is largely because the relative importance of the underlying components varies from place to place and from year to year. The hydrophilic components-damaged starch, protein, and fibrous material-are the principal features limiting soft flour quality as they affect water absorption, flour colour, and cookie spread. Of the tests most commonly applied to flour, the water absorption as measured by the Brabender Farinograph appears to provide the most useful single test for soft flour quality.