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 Small Grain and Food Crops Quality Research: Fargo, ND
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ARS Home Plains Area Fargo, North Dakota Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center Small Grain and Food Crops Quality Research Research





- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
- Publications
- Human Nutrition (107)
- Plant Genetic Resources, Genomics and Genetic Improvement (301)
- Product Quality and New Uses (306)

Research Project: Developing Accurate and Efficient Laboratory Methods for Testing End-use Qualities of Pulse Crops, Identify Factors Associated with End-use Quality, and Develop Processes to Add Value to Pulses **Location:
                            Small Grain and Food Crops Quality Research** 2022 Annual Report **Objectives**
                                

Objective 1: Develop novel techniques to evaluate pulse crop properties such as water holding capacity, starch pasting quality, protein extractability, and mixing characteristics with cereals; discover high-throughput assays to measure these characteristics and develop an efficient service lab to provide these services to breeders. (NP306, C1, PS 1A and 1B).

Objective 2: Develop novel techniques for incorporating pulse ingredients into bread recipes to assess dough and bread quality parameters such as milling quality, dough strength, baking qualities, and density, and develop a service lab to help breeders incorporate these traits into new pulse varieties. (NP 306, C1, PS 1A and 1B).

Objective 3: In collaboration with breeders, determine the impact and variability induced by breeding and processing on the nutritional quality (proximates, micronutrients, selected other nutrients) of pulse foods. (NP 301, C1, PS 1A and 1B; NP 107, C1, PS 1A).

Objective 4: Develop knowledge for incorporating pulse ingredients into novel food applications (e.g., beverages, dairy products, meat analogues), identify techniques for measuring properties of pulses to enable development of ‘healthy’-food applications, and provide support for breeders to incorporate these traits into new pulse varieties (NP 306, C1, PS 1A and 1B). **Approach**
                                

Facilities and protocols will be established to study the functional properties of whole and fractionated pulse crop ingredients that would be relevant to food industry applications. Research will be conducted to understand how pulse ingredients can be incorporated into bread recipes (at different inclusion percentages) to assess dough and bread quality parameters. These will include milling quality, dough strength (mixograph measurements), baking qualities (loaf height, color, crust strength, size of air pockets, and texture of slices), density, etc.  Methods will also be established to conduct compositional analyses on different pulse varieties, breeding materials, and pulse fractions from these germplasm sources.  Research will be conducted to develop high-throughput assays for functional and compositional traits. The Category 1 scientist and staff will establish a Pulse Quality Service laboratory with standardized procedures for accepting samples, generating data, and releasing information to breeders and other pulse scientists to help develop pulse lines that might be used as ingredients for bread or other pulse-based products. **Progress Report**
                                

This is a new project (as of March 2020) to establish a Pulse Crop Quality Laboratory to develop accurate and efficient laboratory methods for testing end-use qualities of pulses and to work with public pulse breeders to enhance germplasm to add value to pulses. In fiscal year (FY) 22, work continued to remodel space in our Biosciences Research Laboratory to house the new pulse service and research laboratory.  This lab will be available in October 2022.  Equipment needs have been assessed and position descriptions are in progress to recruit two scientists.
Analyses of pulse seed mineral concentrations were carried out during the year, in collaboration with ARS researchers in Pullman, Washington and Mandan, North Dakota, as well as several University cooperators for a lentil project.  Seed samples were received for each of the studies, seeds were ground and digested, and mineral concentrations were determined by optical emission spectroscopy.  The results were used to assist both genetic studies to improve seed mineral quality and field studies to assess the impact of agronomic practices on seed mineral quality.
Research progress in FY22 also involved a Kansas State University cooperator who was funded through a Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement to examine bread-making performances of whole wheat flour fortified with pulse flours.  These studies are being conducted to develop methods that will be established in the Pulse Quality Lab as a standard measurement for pulse breeders.  Breads containing different types (yellow pea, green pea, red lentil, and chickpea) and amounts (0, 5, 15, and 25%) of whole pulse flours (course) were baked and analyzed according to standard methods.  Different milling techniques were also studied to assess the impact of milling on pulse particle size, quality, and baking characteristics.  At all investigated levels of incorporation (5, 12.5, and 20%) into wheat flour, the bread from a chickpea blend had a significant higher specific volume compared to that from lentil and yellow pea blends.  At 5% incorporation, chickpea blend breads were not significantly different from the control bread, implying a unique baking potential of chickpea flours compared to yellow pea or lentil flour.  Incorporating a small amount (1-10%) of chickpea flour into wheat flour demonstrated a significant dough strengthening effect, while adding lentil or yellow pea flour weakened the dough.  The dough strengthening effect of chickpea flour was comparable to that using conventional dough improvers such as sodium stearoyl lactylate or wheat gluten.  We further evaluated the mixing properties of wheat/chickpea composite flour by using 20 different wheat lines, two different types of chickpea (Kabuli, Desi), and three different particle sizes (small, medium, large).  Results showed that the dough strengthening effect from chickpea was very consistent, implying the potential of using chickpea flour as a natural and nutritious dough improver in wheat products. **Accomplishments**
                                

1. Pulse ingredients for more nutritious breads. Pulse flours are commonly added to food products to improve their functional properties, nutritional profiles, product quality, and health benefits. For bread manufacturers, however, the partial replacement of whole wheat flour with whole pulse flours (yellow pea, green pea, red lentil, or chickpea) on dough properties and bread quality has been poorly understood.  Breads were processed and analyzed with up to 25% of the wheat flour replaced with whole pulse flour.  Increasing the substitution level of pulse flours decreased dough viscosity, stability, development time, and bread volume.  Among all the tested pulse flours, the composite flour containing yellow pea flour or chickpea flour had overall better potential for bread making by providing good dough handling properties and product quality. This study will benefit the development of more nutritious food products by combining cereal and pulse ingredients. **Review Publications**
                            *Clemensen, A.K., Grusak, M.A., Duke, S.E., Franco Jr, J.G., Hendrickson, J.R., Liebig, M.A., Roemmich, J.N., Archer, D.W. 2021. Perennial forages influence mineral and protein concentrations in annual wheat cropping systems. Crop Science. 61(3):2080-2089. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20491.*
                                *Clemensen, A.K., Grusak, M.A., Duke, S.E., Franco Jr, J.G., Liebig, M.A., Hendrickson, J.R., Archer, D.W. 2022. Rotating perennial forages into annual wheat cropping systems: correlations between plant available soil and grain mineral concentrations. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment. 5:e20281.  https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.20281.*
                                *Clemensen, A.K., Provenza, F.D., Hendrickson, J.R., Grusak, M.A. 2020. Ecological implications of plant secondary metabolites - phytochemical correlations between soil, forages, herbivores and humans. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 4:233. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.547826.*
                                *Pulivarthi, M., Nkurikiye, E., Watt, J., Li, Y., Siliveru, K. 2021. Comprehensive understanding of roller milling on the physicochemical properties of red lentil and yellow pea flours. Processes. 9(10). Article 1836. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9101836.*
                                *Zhang, Y., Hu, R., Hong, S., Shen, Y., Tilley, M., Siliveru, K., Li, Y. 2021. Dough rheology and bread quality of whole wheat/pulse composite flour. Processes. 9:1987. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9091687.*


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