Evaluating dough and gluten strength in wheat varieties: A combined qualitative and quantitative approach

This study investigates the relationship between gluten characteristics and dough strength in selected wheat varieties, focusing on the performance of ‘DBW88’ and ‘HI1500’. Through comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analyses, we assessed key rheological parameters, revealing that ‘DBW88’ demonstrated superior dough and gluten traits compared to the weaker characteristics of ‘HI1500’. A positive correlation was found between dough stability (DST), dough development time (DDT), energy at peak (EP), and both wet and dry gluten content, along with the percentage of glutenin, highlighting the pivotal role of gluten quantity in determining dough strength. Further, multiple linear regression analysis validated the influence of protein content, glutenin content, DST, DDT, and EP on gluten and dough strength. Principal component analysis identified significant quality factors—including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) sedimentation volume, glutenin percentage, resistance/extension (R/E) ratio, DDT, and DST—as critical determinants of gluten strength, with respective contributions quantified. Our findings indicate that both quantitative measures (e.g., glutenin content, DST, EP, DDT) and qualitative traits (e.g., R/E ratio, SDS sedimentation volume, gluten index) are essential for assessing wheat dough and gluten quality. This research provides valuable insights for wheat breeding and quality assessment, aiming to enhance dough performance in baking applications.