What is durum wheat: description, scope and differences from soft varieties

Of all types of wheat, durum is the most useful. It is rich in gluten, fiber, silicon, boron, manganese, selenium, vitamins K, PP and group B. It is grown in areas with a continental climate, where the summer is hot. Consider what durum wheat is and how it differs from soft wheat.

What it is

Popular types of cereals:

• soft - Triticum aestivum;
• hard - Triticum durum;
• spelled - Triticum dicoccum;
• spelled - Triticum spelta.

Durum wheat (from the Latin Durum) contains from 18 to 36% gluten. Used for making pasta and cereals.

Botanical description

Annual plant 50-150 cm high... Stems are erect, straw with nodes and internodes. Leaves are flat, alternate, two-rowed, up to 20 mm wide. The root system is fibrous.

Inflorescence - complex spinous spike up to 15 cm in length... The awns are parallel to the spike. The fruit is a naked or scarious weevil. The grain is squeezed from the sides, ribbed, glassy. The color is brownish or yellowish.

Historical reference

Wheat is one of the first domesticated cereals, which began to cultivate at the beginning of the Neolithic revolution. In ancient times, a wild-growing form was used, which crumbled when ripe and did not allow harvesting. Therefore, people used unripe grains.

The process of domestication of wheat took a long time and was the result of accidentsrather than targeted selection. Countries in the east of the Mediterranean Sea are considered to be the area of ​​origin of the familiar cereal. Then the culture appeared in India, Ethiopia, the Iberian Peninsula and the British Isles. During the Roman conquest, wheat began to be grown in Europe.

Interesting on the site:

The root system of wheat and its features

Stages of sowing winter wheat

How hard wheat differs from soft

The species have common features, but there are some differences.:

1. In hard varieties, the stem is filled with loose parenchyma, the grain is small. In soft ones, it is larger, the stem is hollow.
2. Soft wheat is grown in regions with guaranteed precipitation (Australia and Western Europe), hard wheat - in areas with a drier climate, in the steppes: in Kazakhstan, in the south of Western Siberia, in Canada, North America.
3. Durum flour contains a lot of gluten, starch grains are hard and small. A lot of water is required to knead the dough. All types of pasta and cereals are made from such cereals. In soft cereal flour, the starch grains are larger and softer, there is less gluten, and little water is required. Such wheat is suitable for making fluffy dough.
4. In terms of yield, the hard species is inferior to the soft one by 2–5 c / ha, but it is less susceptible to diseases and pests and almost does not crumble.

Reference. 80% or more of durum wheat on the Russian market is supplied from the Orenburg region.

Grain composition

Grain is characterized by increased vitreous endosperm (70–90%) and high quality gluten. The crystalline form of starch is not destroyed during grinding. The protein content is from 13 to 23%.

The aleurone layer of grain is rich in water-soluble vitamins B1, B2 and especially PP... There are vitamins B6, K, E, A, beta-carotene.

Classification

Distinguish types of wheat based on botanical characteristics (soft, hard, white-grain, red-grain) and the nature of the crop (spring and winter). They are divided into subtypes depending on the color of the caryopsis and the percentage of vitreousness.

Spring durum wheat is:

• dark amber (glassiness - not less than 70%);
• light amber (glassiness is not standardized).

Hard varieties are divided into 5 classes:

1. Does not contain impurities of other types of grain more than 10%, including no more than 2% of white wheat. Glassiness - not less than 70%, humidity - 14.5%.
2. Impurities of another type make up no more than 10%, including no more than 4% of white-grain varieties. Grain moisture - 14.5%, glassiness - 60%.
3. Humidity - 14.5%. Impurities - 10%, including no more than 8% of white grain varieties. Glassiness - not less than 50%.
4. The moisture content and the percentage of impurities are similar, but white-grain - up to 10%. The glassiness requirements are reduced to 40%.
5. Moisture - 14.5%, impurity content and glassiness are not regulated. Wheat of the 5th class is used as fodder.

Milling properties

Milling properties are manifested when processing grain into flour, affect its quality and yield. To determine the use of such indicators:

• the yield and quality of flour;
• the amount of crumbs recovered and their ash content;
• the degree of grindability of the casings (determined by the starch content in the bran);
• electricity consumption for the production of 1 ton of flour.

Milling properties depend on the quality and condition of the grain:

• vitreousness;
• ash content;
• nature (weight in g / l);
• density;
• alignment;
• the masses of a thousand grains;
• strength and hardness of the grain.

Durum wheat is the most profitable for flour production... More flour is obtained from glassy grains, although it requires significant energy costs. This grain contains a lot of protein (13 g per 100 g), the bread is of better quality.

Important! Coarse flour is most often made from durum varieties, but this type also allows the production of fine flour.

Food

Wheat flour contains protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, B vitamins, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, carotene and niacin. Therefore, flour products have a high nutritional value. Complex carbohydrates are absorbed slowly (within 3 hours) and gradually provide the body with energy. Dietary fiber removes toxins and toxins.

Applications

Wheat is primarily used in the food industry... Grain is used to produce flour, cereals (bulgur, couscous, semolina, wheat groats), and pasta.

Economic

Grain, bran and other milling waste are used to make livestock feed... Straw is used as roughage and bedding for the production of paper, cardboard, basket weaving and hats.

Medicinal

Grain is rich in vitamin E: 100 g of grain contains 23% of the daily value of tocopherol... It lowers blood cholesterol and cleanses blood vessels. Selenium (123%) prevents the appearance of cancer cells and enhances the antioxidant activity of vitamin E. In medicine, sprouted wheat, its oil and juice from the sprouts are used.

Read also:

Review of winter wheat varieties Alekseevich

Wheat variety "Thunder" and its features

Winter wheat "Moskovskaya 40"

Growing geography

Durum wheat is cultivated in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Volgograd, Saratov, Rostov, Orenburg regions, in the south of Western Siberia, in Krasnodar and Stavropol regions. Winter varieties are widespread in the republics of Central Asia, Transcaucasia, steppes and forest-steppes of Ukraine.

Features of agricultural technology

When cultivating a crop, it is important to observe crop rotation... Hard varieties are sown only in pairs, since they do not give a stable harvest for 2 years in a row in one place.

In the year when the field is resting, moisture is retained. For this, the land is cleared of weeds, and snow is kept in winter. The culture is demanding on moisture and reacts sharply to spring drought. Crops are irrigated regularly.

Harvesting and storage

The main harvest falls on the 10-12th day after full maturation... The grain reaches its maximum size and dries to a moisture content of about 20%. The harvested crop is placed in pre-disinfected storage facilities.

Attention! In storage facilities, crops are stored in bulk.Bulk density determines how much a cube of wheat weighs, and equals 750-850 kg / m³.

The warehouse is being monitored:

• grain moisture (up to 22%);
• room temperature (about + 10 ° C);
• sufficient air exchange.

Subject to all the rules grain is stored for 3-5 years.

Durum wheat varieties

There are many varieties of culture, but they all require regionalization.

Winter crops:

• Axinite is recommended for the North Caucasus and the Lower Volga region;
• Amazonka is a macaroni and cereal variety for the Rostov region and the North Caucasus;
• Agate Donskoy - for the North Caucasus.

Spring:

• Bezenchukskaya is a high-yielding mid-season type for the Central, Lower and Middle Volga regions;
• Krasnokutka - for the Lower Volga and Volga-Vyatka regions;
• Kubanka is a late variety popular in the North Caucasus.

Conclusion

Durum wheat is not as common as soft wheat due to the difficulties in growing, but it is from it that healthy flour is obtained. In Russia, the culture is cultivated in only a few areas with a dry climate. It requires a lot of investment and does not guarantee a stable harvest.