Rheological, Technological, and Nutritional Profile of Sustainable Crops: Bread Wheat Evolutionary Populations

The present research aimed to design innovative wheat cultivation systems that are less resource-intensive, promote biodiversity, and show greater resilience to both biotic and abiotic stress. It was focused on the cultivation and characterization of two evolutionary populations (EPs) of common wheat, namely EP_Floriddia and EP_Li Rosi, grown in Italy, over two growing seasons. The EPs were cultivated in organic management under legume or wheat precessions. Physico-chemical analyses included thousand kernel weight (TKW), test weight (TW), and ash content. Location and genotype mostly influenced TKW; TW, instead, was affected only by year. Wholemeal flour from each sample was assessed for protein content (PC), total starch (TS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and total dietary fiber (TDF). Protein content was higher on leguminous precessions than on wheat; the opposite behavior was observed for TS. The growing season predominantly impacted on TAC and TDF values. Technological and rheological parameters such as alveograph W and P/L value, SDS sedimentation test, farinograph quality, gluten index, and falling number revealed EP_Li Rosi as the best for baking aptitude, although both EPs were characterized by weak gluten. These findings support the use of EPs under legume precession as an agroecological approach to pursue agrifood biodiversity, quality, and sustainability.