24 Wheat quality: Solving the specification problem.

ROB J. HAMER,* August C. A. P. A. Bekkers, and Wim J. Lichtendonk. TNO Nutrition and Food Research, Zeist, the Netherlands, and *Centre for Protein Technology TNO, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands.

The food industry is going through tremendous changes. Competition is growing as a consequence of increasing geographical market ranges. This presses food manufacturers to respond effectively and quickly to new trends in technology consumer behaviour. This requires a flexible production strategy that directly translates into process and raw material requirements. Here considerable challenges have to be met. Industry still lacks the fundamental understanding to efficiently adapt their processes and ingredients to ever changing product and production demands. Key to this problem is the ability to specify product properties in terms of process and raw material requirements. In recent years, a range of other additives and processing aids (i.e. enzymes) have emerged, offering new solutions on the one hand, but complicating matters on the other. The ‘specification problem’ forms the motive of a presentation in which the latest insights in the role of gluten proteins in relation to various end-use qualities are outlined. This leads to a model for gluten protein aggregation and resulting properties. This model allows a link to be formed between end-use quality and wheat requirements. The model is used to discuss the role of protein quantity and quality. Also, effects of specific enzymes (oxidases, xylanases) and other additives on gluten network properties and dough reology can be explained. Finally, current limitations and research options are discussed.