| Wheat quality refers the suitability of wheat and wheat flour to make end-use products that are desired by consumers. Wheat quality labs work with wheat breeders, geneticists, plant pathologists as well as the grain processing industry to develop improved wheat varieties for farmers. This involves extensive testing over the 10 to 12 years it takes to develop a new wheat variety.
For example, each year a lab may analyze over thousands of small-scale wheat samples (less than 2 ounces) are analyzed for wheat end-use properties, such as protein content, test weight, and dough mixing properties. This testing starts about five years after crossing in the green house. Usually after the sixth year there is enough quantity of the experimental wheat lines for analyzes by large-scale methods, such as bread baking and noodle making. The Lab uses predictive tests to estimate the end-use quality properties of wheat lines. These tests include milling, protein quality (Mixograph), bread baking, and Asian noodle processing. |