Cereal Chem. 73 (6):695-701  |  VIEW ARTICLE

Grain Quality

Fusarium Head Blight: Effect on the Milling and Baking of Some Canadian Wheats (1).

J. E. Dexter (2), R. M. Clear, and K. R. Preston. (1) Contribution 742 of the Canadian Grain Commission, Grain Research Laboratory, 1404-303 Main St., Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3G8. (2) Corresponding author. Fax: 204/983-0724. Accepted July 9, 1996. Copyright 1996 by the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Government of Canada. 

Samples from the 1994 western Canadian wheat harvest of the hard red spring wheat cultivars Glenlea, Grandin, Roblin, and Taber that were downgraded predominately due to the presence of fusarium damaged (FD) kernels were composited at different FD levels. All samples were from southern Manitoba. As FD increased, deoxynivalenol (DON) levels increased. The ratio of DON to FD differed among cultivars, ranging from 0.6 to 2. Straight-grade flour yield was not related to increasing FD, but flour refinement (ash and color) was adversely affected. Gluten from hand-picked FD kernels contained a lower proportion of glutenins than did sound kernels. No qualitative or quantitative differences in gliadins attributable to FD were apparent. Flour from FD wheat showed relatively normal physical dough properties (mixograph and farinograph), but during remix baking, a long straight-dough procedure, dough became sticky and hard to handle. The effect of FD on loaf volume was cultivar dependent. Loaf volume of Glenlea was virtually unaffected by FD up to 7%, Grandin and Taber showed moderate declines, whereas Roblin showed a drastic decline.