Diversity of Quality Traits in Chinese Wheat Varieties: Protein Characteristics and Gluten Rheological Properties

ABSTRACT Objective To characterize the rheological properties of gluten from different wheat varieties and identify the key variables associated with gluten quality. In addition, this study compared the Chinese cultivar dataset with recent SCI‐indexed studies on wheat gluten structure, rheology, and product quality. Materials and Methods Sixteen wheat varieties cultivated in China were analyzed. Gluten protein characteristics and rheological behavior were evaluated by dynamic rheology, uniaxial extension, molecular weight distribution, and protein secondary structure analysis. Sedimentation value (SV), swelling index of gluten (SIG), and gluten index (GI) were also determined. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify the major indicators differentiating gluten quality. Results Significant varietal differences ( p ≤ 0.05) were observed in gluten rheological properties. Strong‐gluten varieties showed higher modulus, strength, and resistance to deformation than weak‐gluten varieties, and these traits were closely associated with SV, SIG, and GI. Strong‐gluten cultivars, such as ZM36 and HH12013, were characterized by marked differences in polymeric protein content. In contrast, weak‐gluten cultivars, including ZM103 and AK58, exhibited a higher proportion of β‐sheets than β‐turns. PCA identified J‐r, J‐max, GI, G, η 0 , G′‐a, and G″‐a as the main variables distinguishing gluten quality. Conclusion Gluten rheological properties vary substantially among wheat varieties and are closely related to protein composition, secondary structure, and conventional quality indices. Rheological parameters, particularly those describing creep, elasticity, and viscosity, provide effective indicators for discriminating gluten quality. Compared with recent studies focused mainly on dough behavior, gluten transformation during processing, or specific product quality, the present work provides a cultivar‐level gluten dataset integrating molecular composition, secondary structure, dynamic rheology, creep‐recovery behavior, and uniaxial extension.