Wheat grains can be physically separated into the embryo, endosperm, and seed coat. Wheat's endosperm, which has starch and protein, is where the majority of its essential ingredients are located. Wheat flour is made from wheat endosperm because when wheat is processed into wheat flour, the seed coat and embryo are largely eliminated and only the endosperm is ground into flour. Starch and protein are thus the primary constituents of wheat flour and the primary determinants of its quality. Starch and protein content are typically used to determine the grade of wheat flour.
The majority of the dry wheat flour's weight, or about three-quarters of it, is made up of starch, which is the most prevalent substance therein. Generally speaking, a polysaccharide compound is referred to as starch. Its geometrical organisation consists primarily of chains or chains with branches of varying lengths. When it reaches the human digestive system, it breaks down into glucose through the action of an enzyme and is absorbed by the body for use as fuel. Yeast is added to wheat flour when making bread, steamed buns, and steamed bread to make the dough stretch and enhance the flavour. Wheat flour's damaged starch is more likely to be converted by yeast during bread fermentation into various sugars, which will increase the yeast population.
Along with the rise in sugars, carbon dioxide will also be produced during this process. After the water is absorbed, these gases will be constrained by the expanding starch and gluten, which will ultimately cause the dough to expand. Products that have been baked or steamed have a creamy flavour. The starch in wheat flour also contains amylose and amylopectin in addition to the broken starch. The gelatinized amylopectin in wheat flour ages over time when it is converted into flour goods, which lowers the efficacy of those products.
2. Wheat Flour Cleaning Process
Cleaning wheat is done to get rid of the various impurities that are mingled with the raw wheat. Advanced-grade flour production technology, such as screening and air selection, wheat threshing and washing, stone removal, and magnetic separation, can be used in the cleaning process of producing wheat flour.
However, since the whole wheat is ground into flour during the production of whole wheat flour without removing the bran, the wet cleaning process of wheat should be used. This means that after the initial washing, residue pesticides and fumigants should be removed from the surface of the wheat, and non-magnetic metals, stones, and wheat grains with diseases and insect pests should also be removed using a de-stone washer.
3. Wheat Flour Milling Process
The goal of milling in grade wheat flour technology (as opposed to whole wheat flour) is to convert the raw wheat into flour that satisfies specifications. At the moment, milling equipment and flat sieves make up the majority of the wheat milling systems used by all types of flour businesses in China. The milling equipment separates and grinds the wheat into flour after it has been extruded and sliced into various sizes. Wheat is only 60–80% extracted into flour, with the remainder being wheat fibre and secondary powder. To create different grades of flour, wheat bran and endosperm must be separated during the milling process. As a result, this technology cannot be used in the manufacturing of whole wheat flour; instead, new technology and methods should be employed. Wheat bran is more difficult to break down into flour than wheat endosperm because it contains a high concentration of cellulose and is very fibrous. The taste and palatability of wheat bran will suffer if the grain size is too big. At the same time, it can be challenging to ingest the nutrients found in wheat bran. To ensure that whole wheat flour tastes good, the roughness of the flour should be decided in accordance with the size of the wheat bran particles that are broken down into the flour. We tested six various types of bran powder in batters of varying fineness to compare how they tasted. Outcomes are mentioned in the table.
To satisfy the criteria for palatability, whole wheat flour's roughness should be at least CB46 (116 mesh) or higher when viewed from the table. As a result, the machinery used to prepare whole wheat flour should be able to crush materials into 116 or more pieces.
4. Wheat Flour Packaging and Storage Process
The significant nutritional value of the wheat germ found in whole wheat flour includes vitamins, minerals, and 8% of the protein, 20% of the fat, 64% of vitamin B1, 26% of the vitamin B2, and 21% of the vitamin B6 found in wheat. The majority of these fats are unsaturated fatty acids, which easily oxidise and degrade, lowering the quality of wheat. Additionally, bran crushing makes it simple for enzymes to activate, further lowering flour quality. The shelf life of whole wheat flour is generally 30 days, but it can be slightly extended in other seasons and should be stored in a cool, dry environment.
5. Why to set up a wheat flour production unit?
a) Whole wheat flour has higher nutritional value than regular flour and should be priced similarly to other grains like buckwheat and naked oats in order to have higher economic advantages.
b) In terms of societal advantages, the production of whole wheat flour transforms wheat bran from a waste product to food, increases the rate at which wheat resources are used, and conserves grain. It reduces the lack of human rations and has significant social implications for China's grain output and ecological environment. (see more: cost of setting up a flour mill)
c) The research and manufacturing of whole wheat flour will advance as people's knowledge of the nutritional benefits of whole grain foods advances.
6. Conclusion
In this article, we concluded and discussed the overall process of the wheat flour production unit. We even discussed the majors to keep in mind while regular running and production of wheat flour and its benefits over good production.
7. Reference:
1. https://www.bestflourmill.com/whole-wheat-flour-production-process.html
2. https://www.metrology-journal.org/articles/ijmqe/full_html/2020/01/ijmqe200017/ijmqe200017.html
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