THE BEST LOAF.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20037, 19 September 1930, Page 16

THE BEST LOAF.

RESULT OF PROTEIN TESTS. EFFECT ON IMPORTATION OF FLOUR. In order to gob the best loaf millers and bakers in New Zealand use thousands of toi's of imported wheat and flour each year to blend with local wheat and flour. This may be rendered unnecessary by the Wheat Research Institute having established that the best loaf is made from wheat having a high protein content. Tims by testing wheat for protein and ■blending accordingly, millers and bakers may be able to maintain an even quality of flour all t«e year round by the use of New Zealand grain alone. The results of the. testa were regarded as important and far-reaching when they were considered by the Committee of the Institute at yester-. day's meeting. According to the report of the institute's chemist (Mr H. E. West), tho protein test was generally regarded_ as the best single indication of baking quality. In % the Northern United States wheat was bought at valuations determined by this test. Ninety Wheats Tested. Ninety wheats had been put through this test, and afterwards milled and baked. The' percentage of protein had been graphed against the baking score to show that there was a genera} relation between protein content aud ; loaf quality. When a single wheat was considered its protein content might easily prove deceptive as an indicator of baking quality, but a blend of low protein wheats would almost certainly give a poor loaf, and a blend of high protein wheats would almost certainly give a good loaf. This result was so important and far reaching, that it was proposed to continue the preparations foi the protein survey of; next season's wheats. ■ > Millers, however,, should be warned [ against placing too much faith in the protein" content of any wheat unless the sample was plump, and had come from an area where a normal relationship existed between this factor and baking quality. Of the ninety wheats under test, the average protein content was 9.66. and the average score for analitv 32.9. It was not to be assumed that a big yielding wheat i meant that' its protein content was 1 email or vice versa. /

What was Discovered. "The extraordinary point to in©," remarked the Director (Dr. F. C Vy. Hilgendorf), "is that we seem to have established that, by blending wheats of small protein content you get a bad loaf, while by mixing those of high protein content you get a- good one. If that is true it will assist millers in producing an even sample of flour all the year round; this is one of their great difficulties at present. Maintaining an even, standard of flour would react favourably on the bakers so that it would discourage the importation of 10,000 tons of wheat and 5000 tons of flour, which come into New Zealand each year." A member: If millers could get 9> uniform quality of flour they would not have much to worrv about. Mr R, J. Lyon: The difficulty would be in the testing for protein' content. In New Zealand wo have so many small lots of wheat all coming in within about three months of the year. That is where we differ from America, This •difficulty could probably be overcome" however. Mr \V. W." Mulholland: It would soem from the graph that wheat containing less than 8 per cent, of protein is not much use for baking. Would it not be better to use this for other purposes? The chairman (Dr. H. G. Denham): Would not those who buy wheat for feed then say that they were., being: sold wheat of inferior quality? Mr Mulholland: But protein content does not make any difference to feeding value doejs it? Dr. Denham • We do not know altogether. 7 Comparison of Varieties. In the six variety trials conducted by the Department of Agriculture for the Institute, ; t had been shown that .Garnet, Marquis, Red Fife, and Xeor man gave loaves which were, on an . average, 15 to 20 per cent better than tho corresponding Tuscan In all cases the Garnet, the milling yield was higher than tor Tuscan. ■'■■ A group of six wheats, whose quality they thought should be tested, had been sown in six scattered districts between Oamaru and Waiknri. The results wore obtained after 28 millings and sixty bakings.