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The Texture of Wheat

The exact time of the first cultivation of wheat is not known.But we have an exact information about wheat’s important role on public nutrition in Mediterenean countries in the history.

Wheat

Wheat is one of the major foodstuffs of human nutrition.It is the raw material of bread.It can be used either as flour or grain.

Origin of Wheat

The origin of wheat is not known exactly but according to some documents,dry uplands of Anatolia are represented to be the homeland of it.Some wild types of wheat are still range in some parts of Syria,Palestine and Anatolia.The exact time of the first cultivation of wheat is not known.But we have an exact information about wheat’s important role on public nutrition in Mediterenean countries in the history.Especially,it is claimed that barley was being used in public use before wheat appeared.

Classification of Wheat

Wheats are classified in 3 groups according to their botanical structure:

-Triticum durum (macaroni)

-Triticum aestivum (bread wheat)

-Triticum compactum (flat headed wheat for cookies)

But in the commercial basis,wheats are classified according to their other charactersitics.

For example:

By its hardness:

-Hard wheat

-Soft wheat

By its grain colour:

-Red wheat

-White wheat

By its cultivation style:

-Summer wheat

-Winter wheat

Component of a Grain

Except from water,a wheat grain is composed of arbonhydrate,proteins,fat,cellulose,metallic materials,enzymes and vitamins.Quantities of these materials change according to wheat’s type and range.Average quantites of these materials are given below:

Carbonhydrates

Most of the carbonhydrates’ are farinas in wheat.Wheat farinas are formed of round shaped cells.Farinas are firmly bounded with proteinaceous materials in the grain.They can be seperated from these metarials with mechanical methods like washing.

Proteins

The average percantage of protein quantity in wheats changes between %6 and %20.This such a wide margin is the result of the variety of wheats’ range’s earth type,climatic conditions and wheat’s type itself.Having too much rain during growth period generally makes the grain have more protein and vice versa.

The quantity of protein can also be increased by having too much nitrogen fertilizers on the ground.The desirable percentage of protein in a grain is generaly at least %12.

Metallic Materials/Cinder

Metallic matters in a wheat are called cinder.The percentage of cinder in a wheat changes due to the nutrituous matters those are taken from the ground besides the type of the wheat.Triticum durums have more cinder than other types.The wheats in our country have %1.6 of cinder in average.Expects from the matters explained above,there are also vitamins,enzymes and celluloses in a grain.

Outer Appearence of Wheat

A ) Colour

A wheat grain can be in different colours;light yellow,yellow-red,amber and dark colour.Its colour does not come from the cotex but its seed.The colour of a grain is very important.The colour is regarded as a criterian for defining wheat’s type and dimensions in USA.The colur is also important as it gives idea about grain’s health in the stock and shows the type of the wheat.Triticum durum wheats are dark brown whereas breadstuff wheats are rather yellowish and white.

B ) Shape

Grains are a bit long or round shaped and vary in size according to their types.They are 3-5 or 5-8 milimetres in lenght and 1.5-2.5 or 2.5-4 milimetres in width.A wheat grain is seen to be split and seperated in two halfs by the middle and this line is called belly line.The back side is a little hump shaped.There are wheat germ and hairy particles in the lower end. The full shape of a grain changes type to type.Triticum durums are big and a bit long whereas bread wheats are small and flat.

C ) Grain Structure

A wheat grain is formed of three main parts:

         -Cotex(pericarp-bran):forms %12 of the grain
         -Wheat germ(bud)-forms %3 of the grain
         -Intragranular:forms &85 of the grain

These three seperate parts differ in structure and role:

a)Cotex(pericarp): Cotex is a protector layer which covers the grain from all of its external parts.It is formed of three layers from outside to in.There is aleuron below these layers.Aleuron and cotex are revolted from the structure as brans during grinding.Epidermis cells form the outmost and visible layer of the cotex.There are cutine and lignin in the external membrane of these cells.Inside of the cell is full of a wax-like material which prevents water and harmful bacterias enter in.The second layer under epidermis is called the boll(testa).It is formed of double layer and dark coloured cells.Aleuron is the third layer.Enzymes,vitamins and the particles which make up the colour of the grain are in this third layer.

b)Wheat germ(the bud): The second part which is settled on the lower side of the grain is called wheat germ.As it contains all the parts of the up-coming flower,this second part is alive and have a vital importance.

c)Intragrantular part(endosperm/floury part): This is the third and the most important part of the grain for us.There are farinas and nitrogens interlock each other in the cells of this part.

The edible flour is got from endosperm(intragrantular part).As they are left on the bran,cotex and pericarp give no flour.

The Types of Wheats Cultivated in our Country

The types of wheat in our country are different than the others.Triticum durum was popular in our country once but cultivation of bread wheat has been increasing for 50 years instead of this.Besides,the ranges of durum and soft wheats are still the same lands as they have not change yet under the proper climate of Anatolia.

Bread wheats: The wheats cultivated in our country are usually white-yellow and with small kernels containing good amount of farina.They can be developed both in summer and winter.Moreover,there are also wheats of same type which are called kızılcık as they are in red colour and only be cultivated in summer.Sunter is also a unique type of wheat of Turkey.

Triticum durum(wheat for macaroni): The types of tritucum durums are classified due to their ranges;Thrace,Central Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia.This type’s kernels are bigger and darker yellow.As this type is expected to supply farina,wheats with more glassware kernels are more preferred.