Gluten aggregation properties as a tool for durum wheat quality assessment: A chemometric approach

The study aims at assessing the gluten aggregation properties of wholemeal semolina for the differentiation of durum wheat cultivars with different amounts of gluten-quality related fractions. To this end, a calibration set of 56 durum wheat cultivars harvested in 2015–2016 was categorized into four quality classes based on the total gluten protein content and the glutenin to gliadin ratio. Quality class distribution was carried out by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) performed on either gluten aggregation parameters alone or with gluten fractions. PCA differentiated high and medium-high quality varieties from those of low and medium-low quality. Furthermore, PCA confirmed the relationship between gluten fractions and their aggregation kinetics, by means of a validation step consisting of 22 cultivars harvested in 2016–2017. In conclusion, gluten aggregation properties proved to be good indicators of durum wheat semolina quality, and thus a reliable tool for blend preparation in the pasta-making process.