Technological Quality and Nutritional Value of Two Durum Wheat Varieties Depend on Both Genetic and Environmental Factors

Durum
wheat (Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum (Desf.) Husn) is a major food source in Mediterranean
countries since it is utilized for the production of pasta, leavened
and unleavened breads, couscous, and other traditional foods. The
technological and nutritional properties of durum wheat semolina depend
mainly on the type of gluten proteins and on their amount, which is
a genotype- and environment-dependent trait. Gluten proteins are also
responsible for celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune enteropathy with
a prevalence of about 0.7–2% in the human population. At this
purpose, two Italian durum wheat cultivars, Saragolla and Cappelli,
currently used for monovarietal pasta, were chosen to compare (i)
the reserve and embryo proteome, (ii) the free and bound phenolics,
antioxidant activity, and amino acid composition, and (iii) the content
of immunogenic peptides produced after a simulated gastrointestinal
digestion. The results obtained from 2 years of field cultivation
on average showed a higher amount of gluten proteins, amino acids,
and immunogenic peptides in Cappelli. Saragolla showed a higher abundance
in bound phenolics, antioxidant enzymes, and stress response proteins
in line with its higher antioxidant activity. However, the impact
of the year of cultivation, largely depending on varying rainfall
regimes through the wheat growth cycle, was significant for most of
the parameters investigated. Differences in technological and nutritional
characteristics observed between the two cultivars are discussed in
relation to the influence of genetic and environmental factors.