Effects of Processing on Wheat Tortilla Quality:Benefits of Hard White Wheat

The suitability of Kansas hard white winter (HWW) wheat milled at a high extraction rate for tortilla production was investigated. All of the Kansas varieties of white wheat,milled to 80% extraction,performed as well as,if not better than,a standard commercial tortilla flour milled to 72% extraction when various quality factors were compared. Tortillas were made from eight wheat cultivars milled at 80% extraction: four HWW wheat cultivars included Betty,Heyne,Oro Blanco and NuWest; three hard red winter (HRW) wheat samples were Jagger and Ike grown at Hutchinson,Kansas (Ike-Hutch) and at Hays,Kansas (Ike-Hays); and one hard white spring (HWS) wheat cultivar,Idaho 377-S. Tortillas made from these flours were compared to tortillas made from one commercial tortilla-flour milled to 72% extraction from a blend of HRW wheat. Mixograph parameters,starch pasting properties,dough-handling characteristics and tortilla- making attributes of the new Kansas HWW wheat cultivars,Betty and Heyne,were superior. In summary,Kansas HWW wheat flours,milled to 80% extraction,produced tortillas which were equal to,or superior to,those made from 80%-extraction HRW wheat flours and 72%-extraction commercial tortilla flour.

The suitability of Kansas hard white winter （HWW） wheat milled at a high extraction rate for tortilla production was investigated. All of the Kansas varieties of white wheat, milled to 80% extraction, performed as well as, ff not better than, a standard commercial tortilla flour miUed to 72% extraction when various quality factors were compared. Tortillas were made from eight wheat cultivars milled at 80% extraction： four HWW wheat cultivars included Betty, Heyne, Oro Blanco and NuWest; three hard red winter （HRW） wheat samples were Jagger and Ike grown at Hutchinson, Kansas （Ike-Hutch） and at Hays, Kansas （Ike-Hays）; and one hard white spring （HWS） wheat cultivar, Idaho 377-S. Tortillas made from these flours were compared to tortillas made from one commercial tortilla-flour milled to 72% extraction from a blend of HRW wheat. Mixograph parameters, starch pasting properties, dough-handling characteristics and tortilla- making attributes of the new Kansas HWW wheat cultivars, Betty and Heyne, were superior. In summary, Kansas HWW wheat flours, milled to 80% extraction, produced tortillas which were equal to, or superior to, those made from 80%-extraction HRW wheat flours and 72%-extraction commercial tortilla flour.