Season’s Wheat Quality Not Causing Concern

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30366, 15 February 1964, Page 15

Season’s Wheat Quality Not Causing Concern

The present wheat harvest was by no means a worrying one as far as quality was concerned, the director of the Wheat Research Institute (Mr E. W. Hullett) said yesterday afternoon. The institute was glad that the season had so far been a normal one, he said, as it had allowed the institute to develop its procedures for making tests on every sample of wheat received, as required by millers. As a result the institute would be better able to cope with problem seasons in the future. During the last week baking test results have been processed by a ’ punched card system by courtesy of D. H. Brown and Son, Ltd. After the information about each sample is punched into a small card, the cards are put through a rapid . sorting machine and then a machine which counts, calculates and prints summaries of scores and sizes of lines according to district and variety. This was the first occasion that at this time of the season they had information about the proportion of each variety represented in the samples to hand, said Mr Hullett. Baking Scores For the 2644 samples of wheat tested up to last Monday the average baking score for Hilgendorf variety was 35.4, Aotea 32.2, Arawa 31.5 and Cross 7 31.9. Mr Hullett said that the figures could be related • to the statement of bakers that they regarded 34 as the minimum they wanted for commercial use, but it had to be borne in mind, he said, that the institute’s scoring on wheat samples at present was more severe than its flour scoring system, and arrangements had been made for some millers to send in mixtures of wheat samples of known tests, so that they could be tested under the flour test procedure to relate more closely the two systems. The institute, which is j employing five extra staff toi

deal with testing, had received 4230 samples up till yesterday afternoon. All samples reaching the institute up until 3 p.m, yesterday were test baked yesterday, and commenting on the progress of testing, Mr Hullett said that no complaints had. been received •by the institute. A new test, baking oven, built in Christchurch- to the specifications of the institute, is expected to be brought into commission next week. Operating on a continuous system, dough going- into it passes through the final rising arid then into the oven. Up till Thursday only one bug-damaged sample of wheat had come in for testing. Such wheat' is greatly feared, as Mr Hullett said it could do serious damage to flour quality and bring New Zealand wheat into disrepute. A further, two samples of bug-damaged .wheat were received yesterday from Central Otago and Hawarden districts. Samples tested up until last Monday represent approximately 581.000 sacks or 1.74 m bushels, and of this -44 per cent was Hilgendorf, 31 per cent -Aotea, 22 per cent Arawa and 2 per cent Cross 7. In. the early stages of the harvest Hilgendorf was easily the dominant, variety, but as the harvest progresses it is a diminishing proportion of the crop. This reflects both the earlier maturity of Hiigen-. dorf and the lower proportion of Hilgendorf grown in the southern . cropping areas, where the harvest is later.