The solvent retention capacity (SRC) test uses the ability of flour to retain a range of solvents as a means of evaluating multiple aspects of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) quality: pentosan content, starch damage, gluten strength, and general water retention. To assess the utility of the SRC in cultivar evaluation, 26 soft white spring wheat genotypes were produced in seven irrigated environments, and milling and baking quality parameters for these genotypes were determined. Solvent (water, 500 g kg−1 sucrose, 50 g kg−1 sodium carbonate, and 50 g kg−1 lactic acid) retention capacities of flours effectively differentiated genotypes across environments. Flour protein concentration and sucrose SRC together effectively modeled sugar snap cookie diameter. Flour extraction and sodium carbonate SRC were negatively correlated. Whole grain measurements, including near‐infrared hardness, single kernel hardness, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) sedimentation volume were correlated with SRC values. The SRC test is a promising method for evaluating soft wheat genotypes on the basis of their underlying biochemical flour characteristics, independent of flour protein concentration.

The many differences between cookie- and cracker-baking are discussed and described in terms of the functionality, and functional requirements, of the major biscuit ingredients--flour and sugar. Both types of products are similar in their major ingredients, but different in their formulas and processes. One of the most important and consequential differences between traditional cracker and cookie formulas is sugar (i.e., sucrose) concentration: usually lower than 30% in a typical cracker formula and higher than 30% in a typical cookie formula. Gluten development is facilitated in lower-sugar cracker doughs during mixing and sheeting; this is a critical factor linked to baked-cracker quality. Therefore, soft wheat flours with greater gluten quality and strength are typically preferred for cracker production. In contrast, the concentrated aqueous sugar solutions existing in high-sugar cookie doughs generally act as an antiplasticizer, compared with water alone, so gluten development during dough mixing and starch gelatinization/pasting during baking are delayed or prevented in most cookie systems. Traditional cookies and crackers are low-moisture baked goods, which are desirably made from flours with low water absorption [low water-holding capacity (WHC)], and low levels of damaged starch and water-soluble pentosans (i.e., water-accessible arabinoxylans). Rheological (e.g., alveography) and baking tests are often used to evaluate flour quality for baked-goods applications, but the solvent retention capacity (SRC) method (AACC 56-11) is a better diagnostic tool for predicting the functional contribution of each individual flour functional component, as well as the overall functionality of flours for cookie- and/or cracker-baking.