Comprehensive Characterization of Spelt Wheat and Common Wheat Protein and Viscosity Traits Under Different Field Management Systems

ABSTRACT Background There is an increasing interest in healthier, nutrient‐rich foods so alternative grains produced in smaller quantities—including spelt wheat ( Triticum spelta L.)—have once again become the focus of consumers. At the same time, the scientific proof of these claims is incomplete. Objectives The first aim was a comparison of the protein content, and some technological properties of spelt wheat compared to common wheat. In the second experiment, the effects of harvest year and different—ecological and traditional—cultivation mode on properties of selected spelt samples were studied. Results In the case of the large sample set, grown under the same conventional conditions, the protein content of spelt samples was higher than that of common wheat, but at the same time there is no significant difference in the wet gluten content. The parameters characterizing the viscous properties of spelt wheat are lower, the variability is higher than those of common wheat. However, we found no correlation between the development of the traits and the origin and genetic background of the samples. A multi‐year examination of the cultivation conditions showed that the protein and wet gluten content of the organic samples is lower than that of the conventional samples. In case of viscous properties, the method of cultivation has significant effect, but the direction and extent of the change depend on the harvest year and genotype. Conclusion The large sample population study did not reveal a clear, statistically supported difference between common and spelt wheat. In case of the investigation the effects of cultivation mode with selected samples we pointed out the direction and extent of the change depends not only on the cultivation method, but also on the genotype of the sample and the characteristics of the harvest year.