Rapid, Small-Scale Sedimentation Method to Predict Breadmaking Quality of Hard Winter Wheat

Breeders and processors are always looking for rapid and accurate methods to evaluate wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) quality. The objective of this study was to develop a rapid, small-scale method to accurately determine breadmaking quality for early generation hard winter wheat (HWW) breeding lines by combining the solutions used in the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) sedimentation method (American Association of Cereal Chemists [AACC] 56-70 [AACC, 2000]) and the centrifugation process found within the solvent retention capacity (SRC) method (AACC 56-11 [AACC, 2000]). A preliminary test of the hybrid SDS-SRC method was performed on eight HWW varieties and compared to AACC (56-70) and in-house Hard Winter Wheat Quality Laboratory (HWWQL) methods to show proof of concept. Further validation of the hybrid method was conducted on a diverse set of 53 HWW varieties. The hybrid method was performed in 66% less time than AACC 56-70 and HWWQL methods. Furthermore, sample size was reduced from 6 g for the AACC method to 1 g for the hybrid method. Results obtained from the hybrid method exhibited a higher correlation to bread loaf volume (r greater than or equal to 0.84) compared to results from the AACC method (r > 0.42) and HWWQL method (r greater than or equal to 0.64) for wheat flour. Due to enhanced speed, accuracy, and simplicity the hybrid SDS-SRC sedimentation method may prove useful in breeding programs, grain elevators, and other scenarios where rapid assessment of end-use quality determination is required.