New head for Wheat Research Institute

Press, 29 January 1982, Page 14

New head for Wheat Research Institute

The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has this week announced that Mr Thomas A. Mitchell will be the new director of the Wheat Research Institute in Christchurch. Mr Robert Cawley who has been the director since 1965 is stepping down from the position to further his research interests in milling and baking. Mr Mitchell is well-known among millers and bakers for his work over 25 years with the institute, particularly in the field of baking technology.' His work on the development of the mechanical dough development (M.D.D.) process was a major factor in the smooth introduction of the process to New Zealand bakeries. Ninety per cent of all bread is now made by the M.D.D. process; a development which has undoubtedly improved the texture, volume and keeping quality of our daily loaf. Mr Mitchell’s appointment will coincide with a new era for the institute. They hope to move into a new building in 1983 and with a number of retirements imminent, several new research staff will be recruited in the near future.

Mr Mitchell hopes to increase the institute’s effort in applied research which will be of direct benefit to the industry. Projects which Mr Mitchell sees as requiring increased research effort include the development of special diabetic breads which taste and look like conventional white or wholemeal breads. ■

He hopes to assist bakeries in micro-processing controls so that when shops order their bread a computer auto-

matically advises the production line of the right quantity and type to be baked and in which order, so that the end product can be delivered more efficiently. He will encourage staff to co-operate more with the industry (“keep their fingers in the dough”) on such projects as continuous dough development, a process which will reduce the energy costs of mixing dough. The milling and farming industry are also likely to benefit from the new direction in which Mr Mitchell is likely to guide the institute. Having designed a dough-

mixer which enables each individual farmer’s crop to be tested Mr Mitchell has moved on to a mini-bake test for researchers so that breeding lines of new wheat varieties can be tested for baking quality at a much earlier stage. He also hopes that the institute can provide a standard laboratory to “line-up" the quality control laboratories of mills and bakeries. Mr Mitchell was educated at Southland Boys’ High School and Otago University, and is married with four children, one of whom works in the industry.