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Grain Quality & Structure Research Unit (GQSRU)
Researchers with GQSRU conduct basic and applied research to identify the physical and biochemical components that determine grain quality. Our focus is on hard winter wheat
and grain sorghum.
Hard Winter Wheat Quality Traits Research
Cereal grains are the foundation of nutrition worldwide. The U.S. is the perennial leader in "hard winter wheat" production and quality. U.S. Wheat Breeders,
Researchers, Quality Labs, and Producers are under continuous demands to deliver a competitive product. Learn more here.
Sorghum Grain Research
Sorghum is an important drought tolerant crop grown in the Great Plains. It has primarily been used for animal feed but, recently has seen increasing use in the food and biofuel industries. Click here to learn more about our Sorghum Research.
GQSRUs Bake Lab
Technicians bake small "pup" loaves of bread from wheat flour provided by breeders. The loaves are then evaluated for certain qualities.
Mission
The mission of the Grain Quality and Structure Research Unit, which includes the Hard Winter Wheat Quality Laboratory, is to ensure a high quality and safe U.S. grain supply for our customers by: (1) conducting basic and applied research to identify the physical characteristics and structural/biochemical components that govern quality; (2) developing rapid, precise, and accurate predictive technologies for quality assessment; and (3) evaluating the end-use quality of breeding lines.People
