Characteristics of modern triticale quality: glutenin and secalin subunit composition and mixograph properties

Triticale is a hardy, high yielding cereal crop with a reputation for poor gluten strength. The secalogluten formation capacity was investigated in 17 modern triticale cultivars by defining their HMW glutenin and 75K γ-secalin alleles and then assessing SDS-sedimentation height and mixograph parameters in a subset of cultivars. The allelic diversity was poor with only 13 alleles identified at four loci; nevertheless, sufficient variability existed to allow secalogluten improvement through crossbreeding and selection. SDS-sedimentation height of triticale (35.5 mm) and mixing time (2.7 min) was equivalent to soft wheat but significantly less than hard wheat. However, flour protein content was 16% less in triticale compared to wheat, despite similar grain protein contents, suggesting triticale stores a lower proportion of grain protein in the endosperm. The confounding factor of protein content must be considered as part of an equitable analysis of gluten quality in cultivar breeding, in the interpretation of previous triticale research, and when comparing triticale to wheat. Improved glutenin properties will expand the utility of triticale in human food products and, thus, increase potential profitability.