Water‐Soluble Pentosans in Flours Varying Widely in Bread‐Making Potential

SUMMARY— Water‐soluble pentosans were extracted from flours milled from hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, durum, and club wheats. Pentosan preparations from the durum flour differed from preparations from the other flours in carbohydrate composition, electrophoretic mobility of associated proteins, and infrared spectra. The amino acids in proteins associated with the pentosans resembled amino acids in salt‐soluble proteins. Amino acid composition in pentosan preparations from durum and hard red spring flours differed from amino acid composition in pentosan preparations in other flours. The pentosans from hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, and club‐but not durum‐increased water absorption. The pentosans decreased dough development time and dough stability, measured by a micro‐Farinograph technique, but had little effect on Alveograms. Durum pentosans lowered Amylograph peak viscosity; pentosans from other flours increased or had no effect on peak viscosity. Adding pentosans increased oxidation requirements. Loaf volumes were increased by adding pentosans from hard red winter or club flours, and were decreased by adding pentosans from soft red winter and durum flours.