What Makes 4n Wheat Ideal for Pasta Production?

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Pasta is primarily made from tetraploid wheat, known as semolina or durum, which has four sets of chromosomes (4n). This type of wheat constitutes about 5% of global wheat production, while the majority is hexaploid wheat (6n), commonly referred to as bread wheat. The gluten protein in wheat is composed mainly of gliadins and glutenins, with the specific gluten content and flour particle size influencing the suitability of flour for various recipes. Coarse 4n wheat is preferred for pasta due to its lower glutenin content compared to 6n wheat, although it is not gluten-free. The discussion also references a journal article on grain omics, highlighting the importance of understanding gluten in food production.
jim mcnamara
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[FWIW] pasta is normally made from tetraploid wheat ( 4n = 4 sets of chromosomes, humans are diploid with 2 sets. )

Semolina and durum are names you will encounter for 4n wheat cultivars.

6n (hexaploid) wheat is so-called bread wheat or sometimes modern wheat. 4n wheat crops are about 5% of the world's wheat. The rest of the wheat crop is modern 6n wheat. There are other oddball wheat species like emmer, sold as 'farro'.

Gliadins and glutenins are the two main components of the gluten protein fraction of the wheat seed. The amount of gluten and particle size of the flour dictate what flour is best applied in a recipe. Pasta is well made with coarse 4n wheat -- lower glutenin than 6n (NOT gluten free) -- for example.
[/FWIW]

Journal of Proteome Research. 12 (11): 4702–16 "One hundred years of grain omics: identifying the glutens that feed the world". Abstract only.
 
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Moved to Discussion - kind of cooking/medical topic.
 

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