IntroductionWheat quality is simply defined as its suitability for a given final product. For durum wheat, quality means its suitability for pasta processing. The quality of pasta products is strongly correlated with the physical and chemical properties of durum wheat. Kernel vitreousness, protein content and quality (proper gluten strength), milling properties (semolina yield and ash content), yellow pigment content, and activities of lipoxygenase (LOX), peroxidase (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes are among the well-documented quality parameters (Clarke et al. 1998;Borrelli et al. 1999;Troccoli et al. 2000;Morris 2004). Of these quality parameters, protein content and quality, yellow pigment content, and the activities of the oxidative enzymes are of vital importance for pasta quality, as they overwhelmingly determine the so-called al dente cooking characteristics and bright yellow color of pasta products (Troccoli et al. 2000;Aalami et al. 2007).However, protein content and gluten quality (including gliadin and glutenin proteins) are the 2 most important variables in determining pasta cooking properties (D'Edigio