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Influence of protein quality on dough properties of spelt wheat flours. E. REITER (1), M. Werteker
(2), P. K. W. Ng (3), and E. Berghofer (1). (1) Institute of Food Technology, University of Agriculture,
Vienna, Austria; (2) Federal Office and Research Center of Agriculture, Vienna, Austria; (3) Dept. of Food
Science & Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, MI 48824.
Spelt wheat is grown on a small scale in Austria, mainly for production
of organic food, though this ancient crop has a long tradition in Central Europe. One reason for its limited
use is the well-known poor bread-baking quality of spelt wheat flour, which allows production of acceptable
bread only after adaptation of the usual dough processing for common wheat. To better understand the
technological behavior as well as any possible similarities in bread-baking quality, the rheological
properties and baking qualities of ten European spelt varieties and two wheat varieties grown in Austria
were studied. Rheological properties and baking qualities were examined for relationships with flour protein
content, wet gluten content and gliadin:glutenin ratio. Results indicated that, on the one hand, spelt wheat
varieties differed widely in technological properties and, on the other hand, that some of the spelt wheats
exhibited baking qualities similar to those of the tested wheats. Just as good technological properties are not
found in every available wheat variety, likewise, classifying spelt as a cereal with bad dough properties and
unsatisfactory baking quality is not applicable to every spelt wheat variety and should rather depend on its
intended use.
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