Breeding, Selection, and Quality of Partial Waxy Wheat: An Australian Perspective

Abstract

Breeding new wheat varieties for Australian Noodle Wheat (ANW) and Australian Prime White Noodle (APWN) classes requires great understanding of the processing and end-product quality requirements suited for these wheat types. ANW includes unique varieties that have medium grain hardness, high flour-swelling volume and starch-pasting properties, medium water absorption and dough strength, and good, clean milling characteristics. Good color and color stability are also unique quality features of this wheat type. APWN is very similar to ANW in quality, but it is hard grained. These two types of wheat are often blended together into a “udon” blend. The two have unique, strict quality-testing requirements, with both requiring sensory assessment of udon noodles as the last quality check before classification. Innovations in ANW and APWN include further textural enhancement in breeding and selection of ANW and APWN wheat lines.