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Effect of Fusarium Head Blight on Semolina Milling and Pasta-Making Quality of Durum Wheat¹

¹Canadian Grain Commission, Grain Research Laboratory, 1404-303 Main Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3C 3G8. Contribution No. 755. ²Corresponding author: 204/983-6054; Fax 204/983-0724, E-Mail: jdexter@cgc.ca. ³Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre, Box 1030, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada S9H 3X2.

Ten durum wheat cultivars harvested in Manitoba in 1995, which were downgraded primarily because of fusarium-damaged (FD) kernels, were subjected to mycological tests and evaluated for semolina milling and pasta-making quality. Fusarium graminearum was the primary fungus infecting kernels. The ratio of FD to deoxynivlaenol (DON) level varied slightly among cultivars but was generally near unity. Retention of DON in semolina was about 50%. FD had a negative impact on kernel weight and test weight, resulting in lower semolina yield. Semolina ash content and bran specks were not affected by FD, but semolina became duller and redder. FD had no effect on protein content, but gluten strength was weaker probably due to a lower proportion of glutenins as shown by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of sequentially extracted gluten proteins. The influence of FD on gluten strength was not sufficient to alter pasta texture. FD had a strong adverse effect on pasta color. Even for the least damaged cultivars, which had FD levels near the limit of 2% established for the No. 3 and No. 4 Canadian Western Amber Durum (CWAD) grades, the deterioration in pasta color was readily discernible by eye, confirming that the strict FD tolerances for premium No. 1 CWAD (0.25%) and No. 2 CWAD (0.5%) grades are warranted.