Flour Pedia

By : Novozymes and Buhler
5. Dampening and Tempering Wheat
Dampening and tempering of wheat helps :
•Make the bran tough and elastic
•Mellow the endosperm 
•Achieve the correct flour moisture content
•Maintain constant grinding conditions
During dampening or tempering , the grain enters the dampener through the front-end inlet. Together with the separately added  water, the grain undergoes an intensive intermixing and water penetration by the bi-rotor whirling system. 
The thoroughly dampened grain is discharged from the machine through the tangential outlet to the  dampening or tempering bins.

Selection of the moisture content of wheat at the first break depends on various factors. If we have to produce flour with low ash content, it would be better to run with higher moistures. This is especially the case with the hard wheat varieties. 
Here, we have a rather brittle bran layer and a harder endosperm and it is rather difficult to avoid too much bran breakage. By increasing the moisture cont…

By Novozymes
There are thousands of wheat varieties around the world. Of commercial significance are two species : soft or common (Triticum aestivum), and durum (Triticum durum). 
The major exporting countries have developed various classification systems to ensure uniformity in milling, processing and baking properties. According USDA the overall wheat production is estimated at 655 million tons for the 2012-2013 crop. 
Out of that 138 million tons are traded. The picture below demonstrates the share of each major exporting country.


Population growth in various parts of the developing world combined with strong economic growth have increased demand for food and feed wheat. 
This demand is driven mainly by countries with low incomes and expanding populations in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen, and Oman) and North Africa (Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco), Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam) and Latin America (Brazil and Mexico).
U.S. Wheat Classes
U.S. has six wheat…

1.Glutomatic Wet gluten content is determined by washing the flour or ground wheat sample with a salt solution to remove the starch and other solubles from the sample. The residue remaining after washing is the wet gluten. During centrifugation, the gluten is forced through a sieve. The percentage of gluten remaining on the sieve is defined as the Gluten Index, which is an indication of gluten strength. A high gluten index indicates strong gluten. Wet gluten content results are expressed as a percentage on a 14% moisture basis; for example, 35% for high protein, strong gluten wheat or 23% for low protein, weak gluten wheat.
The wet gluten test provides information on the quantity and estimates the quality of gluten in wheat or flour samples. Gluten is responsible for the elasticity and extensibility characteristics of flour dough. Wet gluten reflects protein content and is a common flour specification required by end-users in the food industry.
2.Farinograph The farinograph determines …

Picture above give an idea of the structure of a wheat kernel and its various constituents, as well as its % mineral matter (ash content on dry matter basis). The amount of each constituent in the whole kernel is also given in percent.
The flour cells (endosperm) are mainly filled with starch and protein, and represent a dry reserve for the germ. The sprouting germ derives its first nourishment from this part. The thickness of the whole bran varies with the varying thickness (0.048 – 0.066 mm) of the longitudinal cells (pericarp). The colorless aleurone cells do not cover the germ. The ash content of these cells is more than 20 times higher than that of the white flour (endosperm). This layer is approx. 0.05 mm. thick and contains up to 30% protein (but no gluten protein), lipids (another 30%), vitamins and enzymes. A toxic substance has been found in the aleurone fat of the rye kernel which is of importance in animal feeding.
The nuccelar epidermis is situated between the aleurone c…

A.Pan Bread

Formula :
Procedure 1. Flour and other ingredients are mixed with a yeast suspension to form a dough. 2. The dough is mixed until it reaches optimum dough development. 3. The dough is rounded and placed into a fermentation cabinet at 30 degrees Celsius and 85 percent relative humidity for 105 minutes. 4. First Punch – The dough is passed through a sheeter, folded twice, and returned to the fermentation cabinet for 50 minutes. 5. Second Punch – The dough is passed through a sheeter, folded twice, and returned to the fermentation cabinet for 25 minutes. 6. The dough is molded into a cylinder shape and proofed in a pan for 62 minutes. 7. The dough is baked in a 215 degrees Celsius oven for 24 minutes and then cooled to room temperature.
Results 1. Pan bread is evaluated for processing characteristics, external and internal characteristics, and texture. The results are expressed as a numerical score based on comparison to a control sample. 2. Pan bread dough is evaluated during …

WHEAT GRADE TESTS
Wheat grades reflect the physical quality and condition of a sample and thus may indicate the general suitability for milling. 
The U.S. grade for a sample is determined by measurement of such factors as test weight, damaged kernels, foreign material, shrunken and broken kernels and wheat of contrasting classes. 
All numeric factors other than test weight are reported as a percentage by weight of the sample. Grade determining factors include: TEST WEIGHT is a measure of the density of the sample and may be an indicator of milling yield and the general condition of the sample, as problems during growing season or at harvest often reduce test weight.DAMAGED KERNELS are kernels which may be undesirable for milling because of disease, insect activity, frost or sprout damage, etc.FOREIGN MATERIAL is any material other than wheat that remains after dockage is removed. Because foreign material may not be removed by normal cleaning equipment, it may have an adverse effect on m…

By : Novozymes and Buhler
7. Gristing Wheat 
The key step in the quality process is the blending of wheat known to the miller as the “wheat grist”. Based on the type of flour and characteristics, the miller decides which wheat and in what proportions should be used in the grist.
The grist for a flour is chosen by a variety of methods. But it is generally based on the miller’s experience, wheat quality characteristics and knowledge of the customer’s process and needs.
Blending wheat prior to milling is a very popular way of producing flours but it does have some disadvantages. Each wheat grain in a grist has its own irregular characteristics, depending on its variety or source, such as grain size, shape, hardness, moisture content, protein quality, and quantity.
These characteristics may affect the way the grain performs through the mill. So if the grains are blended before milling, the mill settings have to be a compromise between the various milling characteristics. 
In case the wheat …

1. What are composite flours (CFs)? What are they developed and produced for? Tuberous plants rich in starch such as cassava, yams and sweet potatoes that grow in the dry regions of the world are not suitable for making conventional baked products on their own, but they can be put to good use in combination with wheat flour. This encourages the growing of local plant species, saves on hard currency and improves the supply of protein to the population.
2. What is the difference between composite flours (CFs) and ready-mixed flours? Whereas ready-mixed flours contain all the durable ingredients of the recipe for a specific baked product, CFs are just a mixture of different flours from plants rich in starch and protein, with or without wheat flour, for certain groups of baked goods.
3. What baked goods can be made with CFs? In principle all baked goods can be made with composite flour, but the loss of quality with yeast-risen products is often considerable. Pastry goods, on the other hand,…

The wheat and flour basic tests described in this section are standardized testing procedures commonly used for quality control purposes. Results from these basic tests have a direct relationship to finished product quality.
Wheat and flour specifications are communications between buyers and sellers. These specifications are requirements for particular wheat and flour characteristics. To meet these specifications, wheat and flour quality testing is necessary. Specifications for moisture content, ash content, protein content, and falling number are determined with basic tests. Physical tests included in this blog are conducted to determine flour color and wheat kernel characteristics specified by wheat processors. The laboratory milling basic test is used to evaluate the milling performance of wheat and to produce flour for other laboratory tests. Wheat and flour specifications often require specialized basic testing to determine how flour will perform during processing. Several basi…

By : Novozymes and Buhler
Milling is an ancient art. It is a technology, the marriage of food science with the art of the miller. 
Principles of modern milling are much the same as they were many years ago using rotary grinding stones, except now wheat is ground between pairs of cast-iron rolls before the stocks are sieved and then reground. 
Wheat milling consists of several processing stages. These stages are wheat intake, pre-cleaning, cleaning, milling and packing. Each stage is described in detail below :
1. Intake of Wheat
Wheat arrives at the mill either by boat, truck or rail. If it arrives by boat, it is transported directly to the mill. In rest of the cases, it is downloaded in a pit from where it is transferred to the mill.

Supply by road is mainly carried out by trucks. For this purpose, vehicles that can be loaded with up to 40 tons of wheat are used. 
Generally, we distinguish between the following types of vehicles for bulk transport : self-emptying trucks with hoppers; sel…