High protein and gliadin content improves tortilla quality of a weak gluten wheat

Flatbreads, like tortillas, are specialty breads that require extensible dough to reduce shrinking and sufficient protein content (10-12%, db) to maintain flexibility in storage, which are generally contradictory properties in wheat flour. This study compared wheat varieties bred for differing properties (high protein content, ruminant grazing quality, specialty breads) to identify potential desirable traits for tortillas and other flatbreads. Kernel characteristics were analyzed by SKCS, and the mixing properties were assessed with mixograph. Wheat flour proteins were profiled by SE-HPLC and RP-HPLC. Tortillas were produced and analyzed for quality throughout storage. Flour with a high protein content (14.0%, db), high concentration of gliadin relative to glutenin proteins (monomeric:polymeric proteins = 1.82), and relatively weak mixing properties (short mixograph time, <3 min) made excellent tortillas with large diameter and long shelf life. The relatively high gliadin concentration imparted dough extensibility and the high protein content allowed for flexibility throughout storage, though the same flour was previously found to produce poor bread quality. Assessment of hard wheat quality for applications beyond loaf bread (e.g., flatbreads) could allow for a wider range of "clean-label" flours.