Relationship Between Gluten Strength and Glutenin Proteins in Durum Wheat Cultivars

Abstract An electrophoretic study of gliadin and glutenin proteins, mainly low‐molecular‐weight (LMW) Glutenin Subunits, was undertaken to investigate possible assoeiations between these proteins and gluten strength. Thirty‐eight durum wheat cultivars having different origins and currently grown in Spam were analysed. Different electrophoretic methods were used to analyse the seed storage proteins. Protein grain content was estimated and gluten strength was measured by the SDS‐sedimentation test. New patterns for LMW glutenins were observed. Besides the known patterns of LMW‐1, associated with γ‐gliadin 42, and LMW‐2 associated with γ‐gliadin 45, six cultivars had LMW‐2 − associated with γ‐gliadin 43, one cultivar showed LMW‐2* associated with γ‐gliadin 44, and another cultivar, null for γ‐42 and γ‐45, had LMW‐1 − . Significant differences for gluten strength were found among groups of cultivars with different LMW patterns. High molecular weight glutenins were found in general to be poor indicators of viscoelastic properties, although band 20 showed a negative influence on quality. The results are discussed in relation to development ol cultivars with good gluten strength.