Boli Guo

High‐molecular‐weight glutenin subunits (HMW‐GSs) form the structural backbone of the wheat gluten network, and their compositional and structural polymorphisms strongly shape dough rheological properties. As wheat processing becomes increasingly standardized and specialized, the requirements for dough properties, especially strength and extensibility, are becoming more stringent and diverse. This makes it essential to clarify the structure–function and dose–effect relationships between HMW‐GS and dough rheological properties. On the basis of current evidence, this review focuses on three main aspects: (1) the contributions of HMW‐GS allelic variation to dough strength and extensibility; (2) the molecular mechanisms by which multidimensional structural features of HMW‐GSs determine these rheological traits; and (3) the relationships between multidimensional structural polymorphism and dough strength and extensibility. Subunits, such as Ax1, Ax2*, Bx14 + By15, and Bx17 + By18, can synergistically enhance both strength and extensibility, whereas Bx7 ^OE + By8 and Dx5+Dy10 generally enhance strength at the expense of extensibility. We propose a multidimensional structure–function framework in which “loop‐train” motifs and helical conformations confer elasticity; disulfide bonds cross‐link elastic units into a gluten network; and non‐covalent interactions (e.g., hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic, and ionic interactions) cooperate to build and stabilize the network. Single amino‐acid substitutions at key residues can shift dough properties by altering local conformations and intermolecular interactions, including cysteine substitutions (e.g., Cys10Ser‐N, Cys40Ser‐N, Ser8Cys‐central repetitive domain [CRD], Tyr612Cys‐CRD, and Cys25Ser‐N) and non‐cysteine substitutions (e.g., Gly244Glu‐CRD for Ax1). However, reported sequence polymorphisms‐rheological traits remain difficult to reconcile with large‐scale sequence datasets, and systematic analyses of higher order structural polymorphisms remain limited. Future work should resolve these gaps to enable more precise quality control and rational design of wheat‐based products.

In order to investigate the impact of drought and saline–alkaline stress on the growth and metabolic components of wheat, as well as to identify advantageous components of wheat under saline–alkaline conditions, metabolomics analysis was conducted separately on wheat cultivated in saline–alkaline soil at Zhong Jie Industrial Park (AAW) and generally grown wheat at Xian Huanyuan Village (GW). The results revealed that AAW exhibited higher levels of accumulated metabolites compared to GW. Specifically, under drought and saline–alkaline stress, alkaloids, flavones, amino acids, and derivatives were significantly up-regulated, while phenolic acids and terpenoids were down-regulated. Notably, 29 differential metabolites, including vitexin-2″-O-glucoside, N-feruloyl agmatine, apigenin-8-C-glucoside, and L-alanyl-L-phenylalanine, showed significant differences between AAW and GW. Flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, apigenin C-glycosides biosynthesis, and metabolic pathways were identified as key pathways contributing to the observed differences in metabolite production. Apigenin-8-C-glucoside and vitexin-2″-O-glucoside emerged as reliable biomarkers for distinguishing between AAW and GW. These findings suggest that metabolites unique to wheat grown in saline–alkaline soil may serve as biomarkers for developing stress-resistant varieties, warranting further study of their functional components in food products.

Low‐molecular‐weight glutenin subunits (LMW‐GS) significantly influence wheat quality. In this study, near‐isogenic lines (NILs) with LMW‐GS allelic variations Glu‐B3d , Glu‐B3g , Glu‐B3h , and Glu‐B3j in the backgrounds of Zhoumai‐22 (ZM22) and Zhoumai‐23 (ZM23) were used. The ZM22 NILs were grown in 2021–2022 and 2022–2023, while the ZM23 NILs were grown in 2022–2023 and 2023–2024. After milling, their protein and gluten content, gluten and dough quality, cooking quality of fresh wet noodle (FWN), texture properties of cooked FWN and frozen cooked noodle (FZN) were analyzed. The results showed that the allelic variation Glu‐B3g increased protein and gluten content, enhanced gluten index, and improved dough rheological properties and texture properties (hardness, springiness, and chewiness) of cooked FWN. In contrast, the Glu‐B3d and Glu‐B3h variants exhibited superior hardness in cooked FZN, with Glu‐B3h further displaying reduced adhesiveness. Conversely, the Glu‐B3j allele negatively affected most noodle texture parameters, reducing the hardness, springiness, and chewiness of cooked FWN, as well as the hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness of cooked FZN. These findings provide theoretical guidance for the breeding of high‐quality noodle‐specific wheat varieties and the improvement of specialized wheat flour.