Flour
Flour is a finely ground powder obtained from grinding grains, legumes, tubers, or other starchy food sources. It serves as a fundamental ingredient in various culinary applications, such as baking, cooking, and food preparation. The type of flour used can significantly impact the final characteristics of a food product, such as its texture, flavor, and nutritional content.
Flour is a powder made by grinding grains, seeds, roots or nuts. The most common variety is wheat flour, produced by grinding wheat kernels into a fine powder, but the category also covers corn flour, rice flour, rye flour and chickpea flour, among others. It is a versatile ingredient used across cooking and baking — bread, cakes, cookies, pastries and pasta — and the type of flour selected significantly affects the texture and taste of the finished product.
Commercial flour production typically involves large-scale industrial operations capable of processing thousands of tons of grain per day. The process runs in three stages. Cleaning removes impurities such as dirt, rocks and other foreign objects, typically through a combination of mechanical and manual methods including sieving, air aspiration and magnetic separation. Milling grinds the cleaned grain using a series of rollers or grinders: wheat flour is typically produced by roller milling, which separates the bran and germ from the endosperm, while corn flour is often produced using a hammer mill or stone. Packaging then fills bags, boxes or other containers according to intended use, or bulk-packs into silos or totes for commercial customers.
During milling, flour may be enriched with vitamins and minerals such as iron, niacin, thiamine and riboflavin to improve its nutritional value. It may also be treated with additives such as enzymes or bleach to improve texture, colour or baking properties. Bleaching makes flour whiter and finer in texture, though the process may remove some nutrients.
The global flour market was valued at around USD 230 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 4% from 2021 to 2028, driven by rising demand for bakery and confectionery products such as bread, cakes, cookies and pastries. Wheat flour accounts for the largest share of the market, but demand for alternative flours is increasing due to the rising prevalence of gluten intolerance and celiac disease. Key players include Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cargill, Incorporated, General Mills, Inc., and The J.M. Smucker Company.