Association between gluten protein composition and breadmaking quality characteristics in historical and modern spring wheat

Background and objectives Thirty hard red spring wheat cultivars released between 1910 and 2013 were studied to determine the changes in quality characteristics that occurred over time, and to determine their association with protein composition. Findings Significant positive correlations (p ≤ .01) were found between release year and dough quality characteristics, such as farinograph peak time and stability. In size‐exclusion HPLC analysis of proteins, significant positive correlations (p ≤ .01) were observed between release year, glutenin polymeric proteins, and the ω‐gliadin fraction, which also showed significant positive correlations (p ≤ .01) with dough properties. In reverse‐phase HPLC analysis of gliadins, five ω‐gliadin peaks showed significant correlations (p ≤ .05) with year and farinograph characteristics. Mass spectrometry was performed to identify the proteins in these peaks. Conclusions Overall, the results indicated that breeding efforts improved dough properties, which could be associated with quantitative variations in glutenin polymeric proteins, and certain subfractions of ω‐gliadins. Significance and novelty Glutenin polymeric proteins, together with specific ω‐gliadin proteins, may play an important role in baking quality of spring wheat.