Using the Hexaploid Nature of Wheat To Create Variability in Starch Characteristics

Wheat2035: Integrating pan-omics and advanced biotechnology for future wheat design

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) production is vital for global food security, providing energy and protein to millions of people worldwide. Recent advancements in wheat research have led to significant increases in production, fueled by technological and scientific innovation. Here, we summarize the major advancements in wheat research, particularly the integration of biotechnologies and a deeper understanding of wheat biology. The shift from multi-omics to pan-omics approaches in wheat research has greatly enhanced our understanding of the complex genome, genomic variations, and regulatory networks to decode complex traits. We also outline key scientific questions, potential research directions, and technological strategies for improving wheat over the next decade. Since global wheat production is expected to increase by 60% in 2050, continued innovation and collaboration are crucial. Integrating biotechnologies and a deeper understanding of wheat biology will be essential for addressing future challenges in wheat production, ensuring sustainable practices and improved productivity.

Application progress of ultrasonication in flour product processing: A review

Flour products played a vital role in the global diet structure. With the increasing demand for dietary health and food standardization, the staple food of flour products made from coarse grains due to its unique flavor and rich nutrition has become a trend and is favored by consumers. However, the lack of gluten protein in the raw materials prevented the formation of a stable gluten network structure, leading to the deterioration of the quality of flour products. Ultrasonic treatment, as an innovative food processing technology, generated energy during the action of ultrasonic waves that had a positive impact on the texture, organizational structure, or flavor characteristics of food. That was of great significance for improving food production efficiency, improving food processing quality, and extending food shelf life. This article applied ultrasonic technology to the processing of flour products from the perspective of promoting fermentation and improving production efficiency of flour products. The cavitation effect of ultrasound promoted the formation of gluten network structure, improved the rheology properties of dough and the quality of flour products by promoting protein cross-linking, improving the foaming and emulsifying stability of gluten protein, and promoting the growth and reproduction of yeast. All reviewed studies indicate that ultrasound would be a promising technology for producing high-quality surface products under appropriate conditions.

Longer Bread Shelf-Life and Improved Noodle-Making Properties Imparted by a Novel Wheat Genotype Are Stable in Different Genetic Backgrounds

A recently developed wheat variety, known as 5-5 wheat, which has inactive GBSSI-B1, GBSSI-D1, SSIIa-B1, and SSIIa-D1 isozymes, accumulates a novel type of starch, affecting bread texture and leading to reduction in bread staling. These properties are potentially useful for commercial bakery products; thus, the 5-5 genotype represents a new resource for wheat breeding. In this study, the 5-5 alleles were backcrossed into the hard wheat variety "Minaminokaori" and the soft wheat variety "Shirogane-Komugi", which are both leading Japanese wheat varieties. In comparison to their parental varieties, the two 5-5 near-isogenic lines (NILs) showed a decrease in amylose levels, an increase in the proportion of short chains of amylopectin, a lower gelatinization temperature and enthalpy change, a higher peak viscosity and breakdown viscosity as measured by a Rapid Visco Analyzer, a reduced retrogradation rate, and an increase in grain hardness. Importantly, the 5-5 NILs also showed lower bread crumb firmness and reduced hardening after storage for 2 days at either 20 °C or 7 °C. Considering the results obtained here along with those from the original line, it is clear that the 5-5 genotype can generate specific changes in starch characteristics and staling regardless of its genetic background. Thus, we renamed the 5-5 wheat lines "Slow Staling" (SS) wheat. As expected, our results indicated that the hard wheat SS NIL was more suitable for bread-making. On the other hand, we found that white salted noodle made with the SS NIL of the soft wheat variety had a relatively shorter cooking time, a softer texture, and a reduction in textural changes during storage, all of which are potentially useful for noodle manufacturers.

Amylose and amylopectin functionality during storage of bread prepared from flour of wheat containing unique starches

Bread crumb firming is largely determined by the properties of gluten and starch, and the transformations they undergo during bread making and storage. Amylose (AM) and amylopectin (AP) functionality in fresh and stored bread was investigated with NMR relaxometry. Bread was prepared from flours containing normal and atypical starches, e.g., flour from wheat line 5-5, with or without the inclusion of Bacillus stearothermophilus α-amylase. Initial crumb firmness increased with higher levels of AM or shorter AM chains. Both less extended AM and gluten networks and too rigid AM networks led to low crumb resilience. AP retrogradation during storage increased when crumb contained more AP or longer AP branch chains. Shorter AP branch chains, which were present at higher levels in 5-5 than in regular bread, were less prone to retrogradation, thereby limiting gluten network dehydration due to gluten to starch moisture migration. Correspondingly, crumb firming in 5-5 bread was restricted.

Appraisal of wheat genomics for gene discovery and breeding applications: a special emphasis on advances in Asia

We discussed the most recent efforts in wheat functional genomics to discover new genes and their deployment in breeding with special emphasis on advances in Asian countries. Wheat research community is making significant progress to bridge genotype-to-phenotype gap and then applying this knowledge in genetic improvement. The advances in genomics and phenomics have intrigued wheat researchers in Asia to make best use of this knowledge in gene and trait discovery. These advancements include, but not limited to, map-based gene cloning, translational genomics, gene mapping, association genetics, gene editing and genomic selection. We reviewed more than 57 homeologous genes discovered underpinning important traits and multiple strategies used for their discovery. Further, the complementary advancements in wheat phenomics and analytical approaches to understand the genetics of wheat adaptability, resilience to climate extremes and resistance to pest and diseases were discussed. The challenge to build a gold standard reference genome sequence of bread wheat is now achieved and several de novo reference sequences from the cultivars representing different gene pools will be available soon. New pan-genome sequencing resources of wheat will strengthen the foundation required for accelerated gene discovery and provide more opportunities to practice the knowledge-based breeding.

Combining mutations at genes encoding key enzymes involved in starch synthesis affects the amylose content, carbohydrate allocation and hardness in the wheat grain

Modifications to the composition of starch, the major component of wheat flour, can have a profound effect on the nutritional and technological characteristics of the flour's end products. The starch synthesized in the grain of conventional wheats (Triticum aestivum) is a 3:1 mixture of the two polysaccharides amylopectin and amylose. Altering the activity of certain key starch synthesis enzymes (GBSSI, SSIIa and SBEIIa) has succeeded in generating starches containing a different polysaccharide ratio. Here, mutagenesis, followed by a conventional marker-assisted breeding exercise, has been used to generate three mutant lines that produce starch with an amylose contents of 0%, 46% and 79%. The direct and pleiotropic effects of the multiple mutation lines were identified at both the biochemical and molecular levels. Both the structure and composition of the starch were materially altered, changes which affected the functionality of the starch. An analysis of sugar and nonstarch polysaccharide content in the endosperm suggested an impact of the mutations on the carbon allocation process, suggesting the existence of cross-talk between the starch and carbohydrate synthesis pathways.

Molecular aspects of sucrose transport and its metabolism to starch during seed development in wheat: A comprehensive review

Wheat is one of the most important crops globally, and its grain is mainly used for human food, accounting for 20% of the total dietary calories. It is also used as animal feed and as a raw material for a variety of non-food and non-feed industrial products such as a feedstock for the production of bioethanol. Starch is the major constituent of a wheat grain, as a result, it is considered as a critical determinant of wheat yield and quality. The amount and composition of starch deposited in wheat grains is controlled primarily by sucrose transport from source tissues to the grain and its conversion to starch. Therefore, elucidation of the molecular mechanisms regulating these physiological processes provides important opportunities to improve wheat starch yield and quality through biotechnological approaches. This review comprehensively discusses the current understanding of the molecular aspects of sucrose transport and sucrose-to-starch metabolism in wheat grains. It also highlights the advances and prospects of starch biotechnology in wheat.