Te/Fax:54-03472-425001 Int.121                  E-mail:mcuniberti@correo.inta.gov.ar    

Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimentación

Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria

Centro Regional Córdoba
 

AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTAL STATION - MARCOS JUAREZ
 

VARIETIES QUALITY GROUPS

Martha Cuniberti

The varieties actually in diffusion in the argentinian wheat area present a great variability of qualities, having the farmers the possibility of choosing in a wide varietal spectrum  at the moment to decide the planting. In general they opt for the varieties of more yield and good behavior to deseases, without having more attention at the quality aspect because the plus they can receive for the quality production it is usually smaller in relation to that they achieve with a bigger yield.  

There are varieties of high production and very good quality at the same time that could be sowed, allowing to achieve a differential of prices by quality if the wheat is classify in a correct form without mixing all.   

With the intention of guide the differentiation of wheat were created 3 GROUPS OF VARIETIES QUALITY to be use in simple and quick way not only by the farmer but the milling industry, exporter and baker too. We started from INTA with this classification more or less 12 years ago and since 2 years ago was official by the National Seeds Commission (CONASE) trough the Winter Cereal Committee (CCI), which is its advisory board and I am a member of it.

This classification is very useful  and  represent a guide of  the genetic quality of argentinian wheat, having an important demand actually.

Argentina historically has placed its exportable balance for low prices and not for quality in spite of having wheat of very good bread making quality. As producing and exporting country we should compete with Canada, U.S.A and Australia, that classify their production in different classes in relation to the end-use quality, offering to the market diversity with guaranty of quality. In these two points should work those that are related to the wheat chain not only to achieve bigger credibility and better price in the external market but also in the internal market too.

The industry demands specific characteristics of the flours that should be used to obtain its products, since of them depend the final quality and the biggest acceptance of the consumer.

Not all the varieties can adapt to produce the different products neither to the different processes. A variety can be good for bread, but it cannot be so good for cookies, confectionery, sweet bread, mold bread, etc., that they require other characteristics in the flours.

From the point of view of the genetic improvement it is impossible to create a wheat for each specific use, but it should be kept in mind at least four big groups: Correctors (industrial bread making-Pan bread), Traditional Bread-making ( long fermentation time more than 12 h), Direct Bread-making (short fermentation time less than 8h), and Soft Wheat (cookies and confectionery).

The concept of quality has gone varying through the time and at the present “quality is what the client demands.” This implies a wider approach referred to the final use and the quality according to the product to obtain.

 Groups of Quality  (Table 1)

The quality of a variety is determined by the quantity and composition of the reservation proteins. This makes that the expression of the quality varies among the varieties.  For that it is possible a differentiation for Groups of Quality based on their genetic. The varieties corresponding to each group present parameters of quality in a similar range of values.

The varieties of the Group 1 are genetically correctors of others of inferior quality, and as such they are usually tenacity and short dough,  so the volume of bread can be affected. When they are mixing with weak wheat give an excellent volume of bread by their corrective character.

The varieties corresponding to the Group 2 of quality, are varieties of very good bakery quality  that tolerate long fermentation time adapted for the argentinian traditional bread making of more than 8 hours and up to 16 hours of fermentation.

The varieties of the Group 3 have high yield but low bread quality. They are use for direct bread making with less than 8 h of fermentation time.

 At same level of proteins the varieties of Group 1 will be of better quality that those of the Group 2 and these better than those of the Group 3.

The QUALITY INDEX is use to define the group of one varieties (see the paper “Quality Index as a predictor for industrial quality of wheat varieties”) taking account the information given by the breeder, the annual quality data from the wheat trials net (RET) in 21 location of the whole wheat area and the quality information of official labs of INTA from Marcos Juárez and Barrow.

This classification is annually updated due to the high genotype-environment interaction for bread making quality and the need of modifying criteria. It is not fixed.

PROPOSAL OF QUALITY STANDARD FOR COMERCIALIZATION (Table 2)

The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishery and Food (SAGPyA) created in October,1998 the Quality Commission, that I am member, in order to proposing one standard to classify wheat for quality. It worked in discontinuous way for change of authorities until arriving in March, 2001 to a proposal of classification of wheat in 3 classes: Corrector, Superior and Common (Table 2). This classification took like base the categorization of the varieties in 3 Groups of Quality. 

· Corrector : wheat of the Group 1 of Quality with a minimum of 12% of proteins, test weight minimum 79kg/hl and Degree 1 of commercialization according to the current commercialization standard . 

· Superior:  wheat of the Group 1 with protein among 11 and 12% that it don't enter in Corrector's category and those of Group 2 with proteins superior to 11% (Base of current commercialization), test weight of 76 kg/hl and Degree 2 of commercialization. 

· Common :  wheat of Group 3 of quality with discount for inferior proteins to 11% according to the actual standard  and without plus for superior proteins to 11% to be considered of bad genetic quality, and the wheat of Group 1 and 2 that they don't enter in the categories Corrector and Superior with protein under 11%. 

The actual standard established a plus of 2% per each 1% or fraction of protein under the basic of 11% and a discount of 2% for each 1% or fraction under 11%.

It would be necessary  to fix the price plus for the correctors, because not was possible to  reach at an agreement.  

At the moment it is in the SAGPyA  waiting for a resolution.

TABLE 1: INDUSTRIAL QUALITY OF VARIETIES OF BREAD WHEAT

                                  Categorization of Winter Cereal Committee

                                   of the National Seeds Commission-CONASE                                                

* Provisory Catogorization basied on only one year RET information or data supplied by the breeder.       MAY, 2002.

The corresponding varieties for each group show similar ranges of values for the considered parameters.

Table 2 . Proposal of Quality Standard for Argentinian Wheat Commercialization

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