Processing and Bread-Making Quality Profile of Spanish Spelt Wheat.

Spelt wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ssp. spelta Thell.) is an ancient wheat that has been widely cultivated for hundreds of years. Recently, this species has been neglected in most of Europe; however, the desire for more natural and traditional foods has driven a revival of the crop. In the current study, eighty-eight traditional spelt genotypes from Spain, together with nine common wheat cultivars and one modern spelt (cv. Anna Maria) were grown during a period of two years in Andalucia (southern Spain). In each, several traits were measured in to evaluate their milling, processing, and end-use quality (bread-making). The comparison between species suggested that, in general, spelt and common wheat showed differences for most of the measured traits; on average, spelt genotypes had softer grains, higher protein content (14.3 vs. 11.9%) and gluten extensibility (alveograph P/L 0.5 vs. 1.8), and lower gluten strength (alveograph W 187 vs. 438 × 10-4 J). In the baking test, both species showed similar values. Nevertheless, the analysis of this set of spelt genotypes showed a wide range for all measured traits, with higher values than common wheat in some spelt genotypes for some traits. This opens up the possibility of using these materials in future breeding programs, to develop either new spelt or common wheat cultivars.

Genetic Variability for Grain Components Related to Nutritional Quality in Spelt and Common Wheat.

Spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) is part of the so-called ancient wheats. These types of wheats are experiencing a revival as they have been proposed to be healthier than conventional wheat. However, the given healthier condition of spelt is not substantiated by solid scientific evidence. The objective of this study was to analyze the genetic variability for several grain components, related to nutritional quality (arabinoxylans, micronutrients, phytic acid) in a set of spelt and common wheat genotypes to determinate if spelt is potentially healthier than common wheat. The results obtained indicated that within the compared species, there is a significant variation in the nutritional compounds, and it is not truthful and accurate to state that one species is healthier than the other. Within both groups, genotypes showing outstanding values for some traits were detected, which could be used in breeding programs to develop new wheat cultivars with good agronomic performance and nutritional quality.