Grains Australia is advancing an initiative that demonstrated clear potential for South Australian hard wheat to supply premium noodle markets.
The first phase of this project was conducted by AEGIC with investment from GRDC and the South Australian Grains Industry Trust (SAGIT). This phase concluded in 2025, and the work is now continuing within Grains Australia with investment GRDC and SAGIT.
Findings confirmed that certain Australian Hard 2 (AH2) wheat varieties grown in SA can consistently produce high-quality noodles for premium market segments in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, potentially providing a differentiated market opportunity for growers.
The initiative showed that hard wheats with a null4A genetic background and AH2 protein levels between 11.5 and 13 per cent produced noodles with superior elasticity and texture compared with standard Australian Hard wheat. In many cases, noodle quality matched or exceeded Australian Prime Hard (APH) benchmarks.
In 2026, project leader Dr Siem Siah travelled to Japan to continue collaborating with a major Japanese flour milling company on the sensory qualities of ramen noodles made from AH2 varieties. Previous testing of 32 varieties indicated that SA AH2 wheat could provide a competitive alternative for traditional Japanese ramen, offering similar sensory quality. We were pleased to observe that our most recent 2026 evaluations were consistent with previous results. However, access to the Japanese market is currently limited by import regulations.
In Taiwan, previous evaluation of 16 varieties across two seasons confirmed strong performance, with several South Australian wheats outperforming US control samples. This led to the successful export and assessment of a 400-tonne commercial shipment, which received positive feedback from our flour milling collaborator.
In South Korea, previous testing of six varieties showed clear improvements in noodle elasticity and smoothness. Additional varietal screening is needed to improve hardness and noodle stability to meet local preferences.
Grains Australia will continue collaborating with flour mills in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to conduct noodle evaluation of AH2 varieties.
This initiative is supported by GRDC and SAGIT.
This article uses information from the South Australian Grains Industry Trust (SAGIT), which invested in this research.