Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS)
The most widely grown wheat class in Western Canada, CWRS is regarded for its superior milling and baking quality. This hard wheat has high protein content and high protein quality which means it can improve the quality of a blend if milled with lower-quality wheat.
Top 5 varieties grown this year
- AAC Brandon
- AAC Wheatland
- AAC Starbuck
- AAC Viewfield
- AAC Hodge
Source: Grain Varieties by Acreage, Canadian Grain Commission
2024 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PRODUCTION
21,950,411 MT
% of TOTAL WHEAT GROWN IN CANADA
63%
Advice from an Expert
CWRS from the 2024 crop year continues to provide high protein content with good gluten strength and extensibility. It remains an excellent choice as an improver wheat in blending situations.
Grading Factors
A very high proportion of the 2024 CWRS crop graded No. 1 or No. 2.
Protein
High protein content that is similar to the 5-year average.
Milling Quality
CWRS from the 2024 crop year has high test weight and good milling yield.
Application Performance
CWRS from the 2024 crop produced pan bread with good loaf volume, crumb colour and crumb structure, and noodles with good colour retention and texture.
CWRS
Milling Quality
No.1, Western Composite
TEST WEIGHT
83 kg/hL
Higher than last year
WEIGHT PER 1,000 KERNELS
33.2 g
Lower than last year
ASH CONTENT (straight grade flour)
0.46%
Slightly higher than last year and comparable to the 5-year average
MILLING FLOUR YIELD
75.5%
Similar to last year and the 5-year average
Milling Quality
No.1, Eastern Composite
TEST WEIGHT
84 kg/hL
Higher than last year
WEIGHT PER 1,000 KERNELS
33.8 g
Lower than last year, but comparable to 5-year average
ASH CONTENT (straight grade flour)
0.47%
Slightly higher than last year and comparable to the 5-year average
MILLING FLOUR YIELD
75.7%
Similar to last year and the 5-year average
Milling Quality
No.2, Prairie Composite
TEST WEIGHT
81 kg/hL
Similar to last year
WEIGHT PER 1,000 KERNELS
33.0 g
Lower than last year
ASH CONTENT (straight grade flour)
0.45%
Slightly higher than last year and similar to 5-year average
MILLING FLOUR YIELD
75.2%
Similar to last year and the 5-year average
CWRS
Applications
Bread Analysis
CWRS is ideal for the production of high-volume pan breads. It produces bread with high loaf volume, bright crumb colour and fine and uniform crumb structure. It’s equally versatile in the production of hearth breads and flat breads, and it produces dough with a good balance of elasticity and extensibility. It has good mixing and fermentation tolerant in all baking processes.
CWRS from the 2024 crop year has good gluten properties, with good elasticity and extensibility producing very good quality pan bread.
Baking (No-time Dough Using Straight Grade Flour)
No. 1, Western Composite
ABSORPTION
65%
MIXING TIME
7.6 min
SPECIFIC VOLUME
7.3 cm3/g
TOTAL SCORE
9.5 / 10
No. 1, Eastern Composite
ABSORPTION
65%
MIXING TIME
6.9 min
SPECIFIC VOLUME
7.8 cm3/g
TOTAL SCORE
9.8 / 10
No. 2, Prairie Composite
ABSORPTION
65%
MIXING TIME
7.6 min
SPECIFIC VOLUME
7.4 cm3/g
TOTAL SCORE
9.1 / 10
Baking (Sponge & Dough Using Straight Grade Flour)
No. 1, Western Composite
ABSORPTION
64%
MIXING TIME
7.9 min
SPECIFIC VOLUME
7.1 cm3/g
TOTAL SCORE
9.4 / 10
No. 1, Eastern Composite
ABSORPTION
64%
MIXING TIME
7.8 min
SPECIFIC VOLUME
7.1 cm3/g
TOTAL SCORE
9.4 / 10
No. 2, Prairie Composite
ABSORPTION
64%
MIXING TIME
7.8 min
SPECIFIC VOLUME
7.2 cm3/g
TOTAL SCORE
9.5 / 10
Noodle Analysis
Flour milled from CWRS is suitable for a wide range of noodles, including white salted, yellow alkaline, egg, and instant noodles. Dough produced from flour milled from CWRS is well-balanced, having both elasticity and extensibility which assists with the formation of a uniform gluten matrix and ensures smooth sheeting during processing. Flour milled from CWRS can also be used for pasta production in markets that prefer pasta made from common (non-durum) wheat.
CWRS from the 2024 crop year has good dough handling properties producing noodles with good colour retention and texture.
Fresh Yellow Alkaline Noodles (Using 74% Extraction Flour)
No. 1, Western Composite
MAX CUTTING STRESS
(3.5 min cooking time)
39.8 g/mm2
COLOUR (3 h / 24 h)
L*: 75.2 / 70.4
a*: 0.06 / 0.61
b*: 25.3 / 25.2
No. 1, Eastern Composite
MAX CUTTING STRESS
(3.5 min cooking time)
34.6 g/mm2
COLOUR (3 h / 24 h)
L*: 74.2 / 70.4
a*: 0.35 / 0.68
b*: 25.3 / 24.8
No. 2, Prairie Composite
MAX CUTTING STRESS
(3.5 min cooking time)
37.9 g/mm2
COLOUR (3 h / 24 h)
L*: 74.1 / 70.1
a*: 0.17 / 0.59
b*: 25.4 / 24.5
Fresh White Salted Noodles (Using 74% Extraction Flour)
No. 1, Western Composite
MAX CUTTING STRESS
(3.5 min cooking time)
29.0 g/mm2
COLOUR (3 h / 24)
L*: 75.7 / 72.8
a*: 1.59 / 2.00
b*: 25.5 / 24.8
No. 1, Eastern Composite
MAX CUTTING STRESS
(3.5 min cooking time)
25.9 g/mm2
COLOUR (3 h / 24h)
L*: 76.7 / 73.3
a*: 1.66 / 2.15
b*: 25.0 / 24.4
No. 2, Prairie Composite
MAX CUTTING STRESS
(3.5 min cooking time)
28.7 g/mm2
COLOUR (3 h / 24h)
L*: 76.7 / 73.8
a*: 1.58 / 2.00
b*: 24.8 / 24.4
More than just cooked noodles
Udon noodles
These thick, wheat-flour noodles are a staple in Japan where they are most often served in soup or stir-fries.
Instant noodles
Eaten in countries around the world, these dried noodles are a fast meal for many. Add hot water and seasoning and they are ready to eat.
Alkaline noodles
Alkaline noodles, such as Hokkien, are used in various local cuisines throughout Asia and enjoyed around the world.
Advice from an Expert
ELAINE SOPIWNYK
Vice President of Technical Services
The 2024 CWRS crop has high protein content, good test weight and good milling yields providing the high quality that millers and end-product processors expect. The gluten quality of the 2024 CWRS crop provides good elasticity and extensibility, making it an excellent choice for blending and producing various end-products.
Good Baking Quality
Flour milled from the 2024 CWRS crop results in dough that has good processing and fermentation tolerance due to its strong, yet extensible gluten properties. Bread will have very good end-product quality with good loaf volume and crumb characteristics.
Good Noodle Quality
Noodles made with flour milled from the 2024 CWRS crop have good colour, colour retention, and texture.
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