Soft wheat: differences from durum and best varieties, contraindications

Common wheat, or soft - a plant of the class Monocotyledonous, of the Cereal family. It is a food and fodder crop grown on an industrial scale. For the first time, traces of soft wheat were discovered in 5-6 thousand BC. e. in Turkey, Iran, Iraq. This proves that Western Asia, as well as the Near and Middle East, is not in vain considered the birthplace of culture. But today it is a highly sought-after cereal in all countries of the world.

Features of soft wheat

Bread wheat is a species characterized by a high content of gluten and protein.It has a soft endosperm, has starch grains that are easily crushed during grinding. Often this variety of wheat is used in the manufacture of baguettes, various biscuits or sponge cakes.

Wheat soft different polymorphism. Its cold-resistant varieties are able to sprout even with a steady decrease in air temperature to -10 ° C in the spring.

For spring wheat, the total air temperature for the entire growing season should be at least 1300 °C. The culture is demanding on moisture, especially during grain filling. But, in comparison with the winter type of cereal, spring wheat tolerates drought well. Its growing season lasts from 70 to 110 days.

For growing a crop, it is necessary to rationally approach the choice of soil. It cannot fully develop in acidic soil, but it is less sensitive to soil salinization. Chernozem is the best option for growing soft wheat.

How is it different from hard?

There are clear differences between soft and durum wheat. But there are not many of them, so these types of grain can be easily confused. However, they have a different appearance, a different purpose, and applications are also different.

Appearance

The main wheat varieties are distinguished primarily by their appearance. In the first category, the straws are thin-walled, completely hollow inside. In contrast, hard varieties have thick-walled stems.

In a soft variety of cereal grains have a powdery, glassy or half-glassy texture. Their color can vary from white to deep red.

Durum wheat varieties are characterized by the presence of small grains, which, moreover, are tougher in structure. They range in color from yellowish to brown.

Composition and calorie content

Hard and soft wheats have a very similar composition. Therefore, in this case, there are no significant differences between them. Both varieties of cereal contain:

B vitamins;
tocopherol;
retinol;
ascorbic acid;
vitamins F and PP;
calcium;
phosphorus;
bromine;
iron;
and other important, useful items.

The difference between these varieties of cereal in terms of calories is also small. Soft wheat varieties have an energy value of 305 kilocalories per 100 grams. Solid types of culture have a nutritional value of 304 calories per 100 grams.

Which one is he althier?

Differences in the beneficial properties of soft and hard wheat grains are also absent. The identical composition of the grain determines the similar beneficial properties of crops:

normalize and maintain a he althy metabolism;
regulation of the functioning of the nervous, digestive, cardiovascular systems;
preventing the accumulation of bad cholesterol while maintaining high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good” cholesterol) levels within normal limits;
stimulation of hormone production;
Maintain he althy functioning of the adrenal cortex.

Note! Wheat has a positive effect on immunity, it is useful during pregnancy, because it contains high concentrations of magnesium and pyridoxine (vitamin B6).

Where does it grow?

Wheat, especially its modern varieties, is no longer too picky about climatic conditions. And in its frost resistance, it surpasses even potatoes and barley. However, differences between its hard and soft variety in terms of growing place still exist.

So, the soft variety cereal prefers a humid climate, so it is actively grown in Russia, Australia and Western Europe. It is not too widespread when compared with the hard variety. He, on the contrary, prefers conditions of increased dryness of the air. Therefore, durum wheat is cultivated in America, Canada, North Africa and Asia.

Where is it used?

Bread wheat got its name for a reason - soft. Its structure is such that it lends itself well to grinding. This cannot be said about the hard variety of cereal, which has dense grains. They require more careful handling. After grinding, the remaining part of the starch obtained from the processing of the hard variety of cereal is often damaged. This makes the resulting flour unusable for baking bread.

More clearly, the difference in the use of wheat of both varieties is shown in the table: Wheat variety

Application features 1Soft The grain contains a specific element - the D-genome, so the dough from this type of cereal is highly elastic. It is advisable to use it for baking bread, bakery and confectionery products. It is used to make pancakes, fritters.It does not stretch well, it tears easily, therefore it is not suitable for cooking those products that are made from grains of the hard variety. 2


	Hard	Dough made from this type of wheat flour has good extensibility. It is plastic and hard to break. At the same time, long and different-shaped pieces are easily made from it. For this reason, in the food industry, durum wheat grains are used to produce special flours. It is used in the manufacture of pasta and "cereals" called couscous.

Thus, the composition, benefits, calorie content of both cereal varieties practically do not differ from each other. But the properties of products obtained from them vary significantly.

Popular varieties

The best varieties of bread wheat today are:

Favorite. Medium-sized plant, the ripening period of which lasts from 283 to 287 days. Good frost tolerance but not very drought tolerant.
Shestopalovka. A variety of winter wheat was bred in 2007. The ripening period lasts 280-285 days. The plant is capable of reaching 90 cm in height.
Antonovka. The variety was bred in 2008. It is characterized by rapid maturation (no more than 285 days). The plant is medium-sized, can grow up to 95 cm in height. The weight of a grain ranges from 0.036 to 0.044 g.

There are many more popular varieties of bread wheat that have a high yield. They are used by both large agricultural companies and small private farms.

Harm and contraindications

Wheat can cause harm to he alth when consumed by people who have contraindications to taking cereal. Culture prohibited at:

exacerbation of nonspecific ulcerative colitis;
hyperfunction of the endocrine glands;
tumor diseases;
individual intolerance to the product.

Caution should also be exercised by diabetics. They are allowed to eat wheat products in rare cases and in minimal quantities.

Wheat is one of the most sought after crops. The resistance of a plant to cold or heat plays a key role in choosing a variety for its further cultivation.The crop yield depends on this, especially if it is cultivated in the northern regions of the country.