03/28/06 Trying to measure wheat protein quality

Farm and Ranch March 28, 2006 The protein level in wheat is something that can be quickly determined but in recent years researchers have learned that the quantity of protein is not the same as its functional quality in producing end products. Scientists at the Western Wheat Quality Lab in Pullman are working to develop a quick test to determine protein quality. Douglas Engle is a food technician at the lab. Engle: "One of them we are trying to develop is an SDS sedimentation test, sodium dodecal sulfate. It is a detergent chemical that when it is mixed up with the proteins of wheat higher quality ones swell more than weaker quality ones. So it is the actual protein strength of that wheat versus the quantity of it. And with a very fast test you can easily determine the potential of a particular wheat lot for producing say good bread products." Engle says you can easily tell the difference between wheats with good and poor quality proteins. Engle: "And you will have probably a doubling the of SDS volume between the real poor quality and the real high quality ones. It is not a super sensitive test but it tells you a lot more about it than the simple grain grade." The goal is to package the test so that it could be run at a grain terminal within a few minutes. Engle says they are working with an instrument company and hopefully will be in the testing phase in a couple of years. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.