Abstract
Wheat proteins, especially the gluten proteins, are the primary determinant of rheological properties and quality differences of wheat flour. The major objective of this study was to use the glutograph, a lesser-used rheological instrument, to evaluate quality differences among a set of 24 hard red spring (HRS) wheats of diverse quality differences. A significant positive relationship was obtained between the stretching (strength) parameter of the glutograph and the following parameters of other rheological instruments: stability of the farniograph, peak time and height of curve at 8 min of the mixograph, height of curve and deformation energy of the alveograph, resistance to extension and area under the curve and deformation energy of the alveograph, resistance to extension and area under the curve of the extensigraph, and loaf volume and specific loaf volume of the HRS wheat flours. The relaxation parameter of the glutograph was highly correlated with the length of the alveograph curve and the extensibility of the extensigraph of the wheat flour samples. Also, highly significant correlations of the glutograph parameters were found between whole meals and flours of the HRS wheat. Therefore, the glutograph appears to show good promise for quality evaluation of flour and whole meal samples for assessing dough strength among HRS wheat cultivars.