None of the current Kansas hard white or hard red wheat varieties produce low-browning doughs. To Asian consumers, noodles must not turn brown or dark. Salt noodles are made with soft wheat flour and appear bright white. Alkaline noodles are made with hard wheat flour and appear bright yellow. White wheat must produce doughs that remain bright white or bright yellow after aging.
Noodles account for a third of Asian wheat consumption, similar to the entire Kansas crop.
The cooked texture of the alkaline noodles from KS96HW115 was similar to a commercial Japanese alkaline noodle flour. Moreover, the Wheat Quality Council ranked its bread-baking quality as high. This data confirms that the new hard whites are excellent wheats for use in the bread-making industry. For wheat producers, this is reassuring news as Kansas moves toward increased production of hard white wheat. Tortillas and flat breads are niche markets for Kansas hard white wheats and currently the fastest growing U.S. production.