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Wheat: Common Wheat Durum Einkorn Emmer Spelt

Wheat is a worldwide cultivated grass originating from the Fertile Crescent region. Wheat grain is a staple food used to make various baked goods, pasta, noodles, beer, and more. The top wheat producing countries are the European Union, China, India, the United States, Russia, Canada, Pakistan, Turkey, Argentina, and Iran. Wheat is classified by color and grain hardness. Hard wheat has high protein content and is best for breadmaking, while soft wheat has lower protein and is suited for cookies and cakes. The physical structure of wheat consists of the bran, endosperm, and germ. The bran contains fiber but reduces gluten strength. The endosperm makes up 85% of the grain

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171 views3 pages

Wheat: Common Wheat Durum Einkorn Emmer Spelt

Wheat is a worldwide cultivated grass originating from the Fertile Crescent region. Wheat grain is a staple food used to make various baked goods, pasta, noodles, beer, and more. The top wheat producing countries are the European Union, China, India, the United States, Russia, Canada, Pakistan, Turkey, Argentina, and Iran. Wheat is classified by color and grain hardness. Hard wheat has high protein content and is best for breadmaking, while soft wheat has lower protein and is suited for cookies and cakes. The physical structure of wheat consists of the bran, endosperm, and germ. The bran contains fiber but reduces gluten strength. The endosperm makes up 85% of the grain

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Wheat
Wheat (Triticum spp.) is a worldwide cultivated grass from the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East. Wheat grain is a
staple food used to make flour for leavened, flat and steamed breads; biscuits, cookies, cakes, breakfast cereal, pasta,
juice, noodles, and couscous; and for fermentation to make beer, alcohol, vodka, or bio fuel.

Major cultivated species of wheat


 Common wheat or Bread wheat — (T. aestivum) A species that is most widely cultivated in the world.
 Durum — (T. durum) the only form of wheat widely used today, and the second most widely cultivated wheat.
 Einkorn — (T. monococcum) A species with wild and cultivated variants. Domesticated at the same time as
emmer wheat, but never reached the same importance.
 Emmer — (T. dicoccum) a species, cultivated in ancient times but no longer in widespread use.
 Spelt — (T. spelta) another species cultivated in limited quantities.

Important from chef’s view


Triticum vulgare – used for making all purpose flour
Triticum durum – used for making pasta dough
Triticum compactum – low gluten content, also known as club wheat

Major wheat producing countries

Top Ten Wheat Producers — 2009


* (Million metric tons)

 European Union 124.7*


 China 104*
 India 69.3*
 United States 49.3*
 Russia 44.9*
 Canada 25.2*
 Pakistan 21.7*
 Turkey 17.5*
 Argentina 15.2*
 Iran 14.8*

Wheat is generally classified according to the color, hardness of grain. Hard wheat flour is high in good quality
protein. Such flours have high WATER ABSORPTION POWER (WAP), good mixing & fermentation tolerance &
gas retention power & excellent for bread making. Soft wheat have lower amount of protein and absorbs less
water; this types of flours are good for cookies, cakes & biscuits.
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Physical structure of wheat

Physical structure of wheat consists of -


 Bran – 14.5 – 15 %
 Endosperm – 83%
 Germ/Embryo – 2.5%

 Bran – it contains 6 principle layers; first three are


o Epidermis
o Epicarp
o Endocarp
Those three are collectively known as pericarp. The second three layers are collectively known as seed coat,
which consists
o Testa
o Nucellar layer
o Aleurone layer
The fourth layer testa contains the coloring matter which decides the color of the wheat & flour as well. The
sixth layer aleurone cell contains protease enzyme that has softening effect on the wheat protein &
consequently on the dough. Although bran is enriched with vitamin B but the cellulose presents in bran tends
to speed up the passage of food through the digestive tract reducing the total nutritive contribution to the
body. The sharp edges of bran fragments have a cutting action on gluten strands which reduces the gas
retention power of the dough which is not desirable. Due to those reasons bran contamination should be
avoided in flour more than what is unavoidable in good milling practices { 0.4 – 0.5%}.

 Endosperm – it constitutes almost 85% of the whole wheat grain, it is the floury portion of the wheat
grains. In the endosperm there are innumerable starch packed cells which is again divided by cellulose wall.
Endosperm contains
o Starch
o Soluble proteins
o Insoluble proteins
o Oil
o Moistures
o Sugar
o Mineral.
The white flour/refined flour is milled out from the endosperm only, where as the whole meal flour is a
product from the whole wheat grain.

 Germ/Embryo – it consists of three parts


o Scutellum
o Radicle
o Plumule
Germ is responsible for developing plant from the wheat grains. Plumule develops into green shoot, radicle
gives rootlet to the plant & scutellum is the storehouse of vitamin. Germ is also not a desirable part in flour
because germ contains oil which reduces the keeping quality of the flour
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