Comparison of the starch properties of Japanese wheat varieties with those of popular commercial wheat classes from the USA, Canada and Australia

The starch properties of four Japanese wheat varieties/breeding lines suitable for both bread and noodles were compared with those of popular commercial wheat classes from the USA, Canada and Australia. All starches were analyzed for amylose content, pasting properties measured by a rapid visco analyzer (RVA), swelling power, thermal properties measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), enzyme digestibility, and chain length distribution of amylopectin (DP 6–17). All starch characteristics studied, except the chain length distribution of amylopectin, were significantly different among the tested wheat classes and varieties/breeding lines. Including Japanese wheat varieties/breeding lines, higher amylose contents and lower peak viscosities were found in hard wheats than in soft wheats. Interestingly, enthalpy, in the amylose–lipid complex measured by DSC, showed significant correlations with the pasting temperature from the RVA and swelling power.