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Soft durum—A new bakery ingredient.
C. F. MORRIS (1), J. Casper (2), M. C. Simeone (3), D. Lafiandra (3), E. P. Fuerst (4), J. Murray (4), J. A. Engleson (5), K. Ammar (6), E. Elias (7). (1) USDA-ARS Western Wheat Quality Lab, Pullman, WA, U.S.A.; (2) Cargill Bakery Technology, Plymouth, MN, U.S.A.; (3) University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy; (4) Washington State University, Pullman, WA, U.S.A.; (5) Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX

When was the last time the baking industry had a new flour? Soft durum flour is almost oxymoronic. Durum wheat, Triticum turgidum spp. durum, is known for its very hard kernels and is recognized world wide as the pre-eminent ingredient for pastas. The primary goal of most durum millers is to maximize the high yield of speck free semolina. Now, think about soft hexaploid wheat, T. aestivum. It mills easily with a low energy requirement. The kernel grinds into a fine textured flour of small particle size and low starch damage. We have produced via non-GMO means soft kernel durum wheat that contains the puroindoline genes from soft hexaploid wheat on a chromosome translocation involving 5DS. In this presentation we will show the latest efforts in pilot-scale testing of soft durum in pizza crust and pasta, and present the goals of a recently funded USDA AFRI-funded research project. Commercial trials are currently underway in the US Pacific Northwest, and in Lazio, Italy. Genetic research is aimed at introgressing the soft kernel trait into CIMMYT and Northern Great Plains (North Dakota St. Univ.) elite germplasm. Additionally, introgression of Glu-D1 and Glu-B1 high molecular weight glutenin loci are underway to evaluate the association between glutenin proteins, gluten strength and product quality.

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