Impacts of Drought Stress on Wheat Flour, Dough, and Chinese Southern-Type Steamed Bread Quality Characteristics

Abstract

In this study, the effect of drought stress at different growing stages (tillering, jointing-booting, heading-flowering, and filling-maturing) on the qualities of wheat flour and steamed bread was investigated using three winter wheat varieties (Huaimai 58, Yannong 19, Aikang 58). As for Huaimai 58, all stages of drought treatments significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the flour extraction rate and protein content, dough extensibility and tenacity, and steamed bread-making performance when compared with the control group (normal-irrigation). Among the growing stages, the filling-maturing stage exhibited the most significant effect on the steamed bread-making performance of Huaimai 58, which decreased the specific volume of steamed bread by 29.5% and increased its hardness by 166.5%. As for Yannong 19 and Aikang 58, drought treatments at heading-flowering and filling-maturing stages significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the extraction rate of wheat flour while increasing the flour protein content, dough extensibility and tenacity, and steamed bread-making performance, indicating the flour and steamed bread-making qualities of Yannong 19 and Aikang 58 were favored by drought treatments. Overall, drought treatments showed different effects on the wheat flour and steamed bread qualities in the three winter wheat varieties, with the filling-maturing stage drought treatment exerting the most significant effect on the steamed bread-making performance.