Current and Future Trends of Wheat Quality Needs

Abstract

Wheat is one of the main sources of nutrients for humans and animals. Its wide adaptation to diverse agro-ecological conditions, its storability, and its complex chemical composition, are main attributes that have made wheat the most widely used crop in food processing. Wheat trading is vast, occurs world-wide, and is now more dynamic than ever. Present and predicted shifts in the composition and trading figures of the wheat export market, are strongly associated to economical and social (agricultural reforms, rural-urban population balance, labor force composition, food habits) changes occurring in mainly developing and emerging countries; the urban population shows and steady increase, so is the demand for convenience and novel food products. The wheat processing industry is becoming more efficient and versatile, and therefore requires more specific quality characteristics to produce distinct flour and food types. Wheat grades and classes have to be developed or further refined, to market wheat with specific and, above all, more uniform quality attributes. Therefore, and in order to maintain wheat production in agreement with growing population and consumers’ demands, wheat-producing countries need to become more efficient in developing wheat cultivars possessing high productivity as well as specific quality attributes. On the other hand, there are nutritional and health issues associated with the food consumption of wheat. In the first case, the still large use of wheat as the main source of nutrients, particularly in the rural populations of WANA, CAC, and SA regions, makes it necessary to enhance (naturally or artificially) the nutritional value of wheat-based foods consumed by the more vulnerable (rural- and urban-poor) part of the population. Regarding health issues, change in food habits of mainly the urban population, particularly the increasing consumption of calorie- and fat-rich foods in conjunction with a decrease in the consumption of fiber-rich vegetables, is causing increasing health problems associated with obesity (hypertension, coronary disease, diabetes, etc.); promoting increases in consumption of whole wheat flour-based foods is one way to reduce associated health risks. However, a balanced diet combined with exercise is the best approach to reduce nutrient intake-related risks