Insights on wheat quality evaluation along the value chain

In recent years, the needs along the value chain of wheat have changed. For each one of the many wheat uses, specific grain-quality requirements are preferred. The possibility to obtain reliable and quick information about kernels quality from small amount of sample is constantly becoming more important in all the wheat value chain. For instance, people involved in genetic selection need to analyze very large number of new lines in short time. Milling industry requires fast, simple and reliable methods for the control of grain quality during the reception phase. Finally, the bread-making industry is searching for suitable methods able to predict the end-products quality. Although the definition of quality, changes significance depending on the stage of the “value chain” considered, from breeding to processing and final consumption, in general, it can be understood in a similar way throughout the transformation chain. Moreover, the qualitative characteristics of the raw materials are not the only properties to be related to the chemical-physical properties but also, they are related to the properties of the doughs during the kneading phase, the consistency of the finished products and the process efficiency. For this reason, along decades, several approaches have been developed and proposed to assess quality differ along the chain. For instance, some approaches determine dough behavior during mixing or proofing, while other simulate the baking phases measuring the resistance to uniaxial and tridimensional extension. The study of the extensional properties is an important point in the interpretation of flours behavior, because they have a direct effect on the loaf volume and the quality of texture of bread crumb. Among the instruments developed for the evaluation of this properties the Extensograph has been proposed. In this context, the research is focusing not only on the development of quicker methods but also on the possibility of using less sample quantities. Focus will be on an overview of the strength and weakness points of this test and its application along the wheat value chain for predicting the common parameters related to dough rheology and bread loaf volume.