Dough visco-elasticity is the main factor defining the bread-making quality of wheat. In breeding to improve bread-making quality it is necessary to apply selection pressure as early as possible (at least at the early-advanced stages). The Mixograph and the Alveograph are commonly used methods to determine dough mixing properties (development time, DDT and work input, %T), dough viscoelasticity (deformation energy or dough strength; ALVW, and tenacity/extensibility; ALVPL ratio). Bread loaf volume is the ultimate parameter indicating bread-making quality. However, all these methods are time consuming and slow, with little application in early stages of selection for quality traits. The present study evaluated three small-scale tests: sodium dodecyl sulfate-sedimentation (SDS-S), lactic acid retention capacity (LARC), and swelling index of glutenin (SIG), for their value in estimating dough visco-elastic properties (DDT; %T; ALVW; ALVPL) and bread loaf volume (LV). A large population (242) of advanced wheat lines was used. SIG and LARC were strongly interrelated (r = 0.92) and both showed larger correlation coefficients than SDS-S with dough strength parameters and bread LV, although SIG showed a larger correlation coefficient than LARC to screen for dough strength (r: 0.77 vs. 0.83, respectively) and bread LV (r: 0.54 vs. 0.62, respectively). Testing for LARC is simpler and faster than for SIG. Therefore, the use of either LARC or SIG to screen for dough strength and bread LV depends on the strength of the selection pressure applied to early advanced wheat germplasm.

English

Lucia Segura

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection