The European Union produces close to five billion bushel of wheat berry each year , while the United States produces about two billion bushels [ reservoir : Brester ] . Unless you ’re a professionalbaker , you might think that all straw is the same , but these two part in reality produce vastly different varieties of this craw .
Around 60 percent of U.S. pale yellow production is of the hard red wheat variety ; just 23 percent consist of soft wheat [ source : Brester ] . In Europe , the principal strains of wheat are by and large of the lenient variety . So what ’s the difference between the two ? Part of the difference of opinion lies in gluten , a protein blending incur in wheat and other cereal . Hard straw has more gluten than easygoing wheat , and the gluten it contains is stronger than gluten find in soft wheat . This tough gluten is ideal for bake soft , downlike scratch that multitude are used to devour in the United States .
diffuse wheat has a very different consistency . It has less gluten — and less protein overall — than grueling pale yellow , and what gluten it does have is weak and easily break down . This diffuse pale yellow is generally preferred for making pastries , bar , cookies and other non - bread products .
Due to stain and turn conditions , the differences between American and European straw extend further than gluten content . American wheat bear about 10 time moreselenium , a tincture mineral , than European varieties [ source : Shewry ] . stage of all protein are low overall in European wheat compared to American varieties [ source : Gisslen ] , but many growers are working hard to increase protein levels to make this wheat more attractive to potential purchaser .
Of course , this does n’t mean that all American wheat is high in gluten and all European wheat is gloomy in gluten . Producers in each of these regions imbed many different varieties of wheat berry , so you could find a portmanteau to accommodate any purpose , no matter where you exist . It ’s also authoritative to keep in mind that while the U.S. imports little wheat , Europe import about 1.1 million ton of American wheat each year , so you’re able to retrieve plenteousness of American wheat throughout the EU [ source : Mufson and Branigin ] .
Interestingly , despite the difference of opinion in gluten between American and European wheat , charge per unit of celiac disease between the two region are monovular , with 1 in 133 people think to suffer from this gluten - related autoimmune disease [ source : Gitig ] .
