Comparative evaluation of old and modern wheat varieties for pizza base development and quality assessment

The study evaluated ten Indian wheat varieties (five old: 1960–1999; five modern: 2000–2020) for their suitability in pizza base preparation. Protein content ranged from 10.85 to 14.17% and water absorption from 60.10 to 68.37%. Old varieties exhibited stronger dough properties with higher dough development time (5.00–6.50 min) and stability (5.20–10.60 min) and lower softening (11.00–84.03 BU), whereas modern varieties showed faster hydration but comparatively weaker gluten strength. Peak viscosity ranged from 2998 to 3881 mPa·s, with SONORA64 and HUW468 showing superior rheological performance. FTIR analysis indicated disparities in molecular interactions related to starch–protein structure, with relatively stronger spectral intensities observed in WH1021 and HD2329, while UP2425 showed prominent protein-associated bands among modern varieties. Metabolomic profiling revealed fatty acids as dominant components, with DBW16 richer in carbohydrates and MACS6222, HUW468, and WH1021 showing relatively higher amino acid levels. Physical and textural properties showed significant difference of 94.25–241.19 mm and diameter reduction of − 3.86 to − 9.34 mm; hardness ranged from 3242 to 16,604 g, gumminess 48.2–95.7, and chewiness 679–7080, where older varieties exhibited firmer textures, while modern varieties demonstrated softer and more resilient characteristics suitable for fast-baking applications.