Does growing Canadian western hard red spring wheat under organic management alter its breadmaking quality?

H. Mason¹, A. Navabi¹, B. Frick², J. O’Donovan³, D. Niziol⁴, and D. Spaner¹*

Abstract
Canadian Western Hard Red Spring (CWRS) wheat is recognized as premium quality wheat, ideal for breadmaking due to its superior milling qualities, baking characteristics and protein content. Organic wheat production is becoming more prevalent in Canada, due to increasing consumer demand for organic wheat products. Differences may exist in the baking and milling quality of wheat grown under conventional and organic management, a result of the dissimilarity between organic and conventional soil and crop management practices.

Five CWRS cultivars released from 1885 to 1997 were grown under conventional and organic management and were assessed for their breadmaking potential. Several traits were investigated, including test weight, protein content, flour yield, kernel hardness and several mixograph parameters.

Test weight was higher under conventional management, while no differences in protein content were observed between organic and conventionally grown wheat. Higher sodium dodecyl sulfate sedimentation (SDSS) volume, a reflection of gluten strength, was observed under conventional management, while there was a trend towards higher dough strength under organic management.

Cultivars differed in grain protein, flour yield, kernel hardness and mixograph parameters, with Park and McKenzie superior to the others, particularly Red Fife, a much older cultivar.

Managementrcultivar interaction effects suggest that cultivars exhibit somewhat different baking characteristics when grown in the two management systems.

There was no evidence that older cultivars (developed prior to the widespread use of pesticides and fertilizers) are better suited, in terms of breadmaking quality, for organic production.

 

Source
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 2006: 22(3); 157–167

 

¹Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5,
Canada.
²Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada, c/o Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 51
Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A8, Canada.
³Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Beaverlodge, AB, T0H 0C0, Canada.
⁴Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2M9, Canada.
*Corresponding author: dean.spaner@ualberta.ca

 

 

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Posted August 2007