Prediction of sugar-snap cookie diameter using sucrose solvent retention capacity, milling softness, and flour protein content

During testing of wheats at the early generation developmental stage, often there is not enough seed to mill for bake testing products such as sugar-snap cookie diameter. This study reports a prediction equation for sugar-snap cookie diameter that uses sucrose solvent retention capacity (SRC), wheat milling softness, and flour protein content. A total of 507 wheats were milled using three laboratory milling systems (short, medium, and long mill flow). Prediction equations were similar for all three mills. Standard errors of prediction were <2% of the mean estimate of cookie diameter. Additional observations eliminated lactic acid SRC (an indication of glutenin strength), alkaline water retention capacity (a traditional predictor of pastry quality), and flour yield (the main milling quality characteristic) from the prediction model.