Hard, medium-hard and extraordinarily soft wheat varieties: Comparison and relationship between various starch properties.

Starches from extraordinarily soft wheat (Ex-SW), medium-hard wheat (MHW) and hard wheat (HW) varieties were evaluated for various properties and their relationship with each other was established. Varieties showed wide variation in grain hardness index (GHI) that varied between 17 and 95. Starches were evaluated for physicochemical properties, granule size distribution, starch morphology, pasting and thermal properties. Starches from MHW showed the presence of the largest proportion of A-type granules and the smallest proportions of B-type and C-type granules whereas Ex-SW showed the greatest proportion of C-type granules. Starches from HW and MHW varieties showed lower swelling power (SP) and higher amylose content (AC) than that from Ex-SW varieties. Starches from HW varieties had greater crystallinity than starches from Ex-SW. Transition temperatures of starch gelatinization decreased with decrease in GHI.