FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT - EFFECT ON THE MILLING AND BAKING OF SOME CANADIAN WHEATS

Samples from the 1994 western Canadian wheat harvest of the hard red s pring wheat cultivars Glenlea, Grandin, Roblin, and Taber that were do wngraded predominately due to the presence of fusarium damaged (FD) ke rnels were composited at different FD levels. All samples were from so uthern Manitoba. As FD increased, deoxynivalenol (DON) levels increase d. The ratio of DON to FD differed among cultivars, ranging from 0.6 t o 2. Straight-grade flour yield was not related to increasing FD, but flour refinement (ash and color) was adversely affected. Gluten from h and-picked FD kernels contained a lower proportion of glutenins than d id sound kernels. No qualitative or quantitative differences in gliadi ns attributable to FD were apparent. Flour from FD wheat showed relati vely normal physical dough properties (mixograph and farinograph), but during remix baking, a long straight-dough procedure, dough became st icky and hard to handle. The effect of FD on loaf volume was cultivar dependent Loaf volume of Glenlea was virtually unaffected by FD up to 7%, Grandin and Taber showed moderate declines, whereas Roblin showed a drastic decline.