QUALITY OF FLOUR

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 20, 23 July 1927, Page 10

QUALITY OF FLOUR

"BELOW THE AVERAGE"

DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS

Inquiries were made of the Chemistry Section of the Department of Agriculture by a representative as to the complaints with regard to the quality of flour at the present time. This Department makes periodical tests Of wheat and flour for bread-making. It was explained that the quality of flour is dependent largely on the climatic conditions which have prevailed during the growing season. A variety of wheat which gives a good quality of flour one year may, for reasons not at present wholly understood, fail rather badly the following year. The weather during the past season has considerably affected the baking quality of the flour. These conditions are, of course, quite outside the control of the wheatgrower, the miller, or the baker. They can only do their best —the miller and baker realising that they are dealing with a product below the average in quality. The flour this season, as already indicated, has been of poorer baking quality than usual. The baker who tries to make a decent loaf has had good fcason to be disappointed. Scientists who have devoted years of patient study to the question of variation in the qualities of wheat and flour in this and in other countries have amassed much interesting information, and have come to certain definite conclusions which should be borne in mind in considering the problem. WHAT IS REQUIRED. "The farmer aims," it is pointed out, "at maximum production in the cultivation of wheat. On the other hand, the miller, baker, and consumer want properties which on examination appeal's ie approximately one and the same Mng; one may sa.y that they ••>!„ more particularly interested in the quality of wheat and wheat flour. Quality, which among millers is synonymous with 'strength,' is defined most satisfactorily and simply as follows:—A strong wheat is one which yields flour capable of making large, w^ll-piled loaves. The great quality of a. strong ] wheat is its capacity to yield flour pro' during a bread porous, bulky, and digestible. It is the search for improved strength (or quality) in vheats which is most characteristic of th» recent work in the improvement of the world's ivheat crops. "The question immediately arises as to how all-round improvement may be ttaae on existlng varieties . It ' b said at once that the best wheat to Mill, suiting farmer, miller, baker, and consumer, would be one producing the greatest quantity of flour of the best quality. It is easy enough to under-

stand what is meant by quantity in this respect, and this is an important factor, for the amount of flour obtainable from different varieties ranges | from about 66 to 76 per cent, though the average is about 72 per cent. The quality of flour, however, is harder to define. DETERMINATION OF QUAXiITY. "Commercially tho quality of a wheat is often judged and tho wheat bought by the appearance of tho grain, its hardness, colour, plumpness, and j freedom from seed impurities. JTnese standards are, however, often unsatisfactory guides, and may even be misleading. A hard wheat, for instance, may be expected to give a stronger flour than a soft wheat, and this is true generally when judging two samples of the same variety; but it can be quite misleading when comparing two samples of different varieties— sometimes the softer wheat produces the better flour. It is also commonly supposed that a red wheat produces strong flour. This, again, is often true, but sometimes it is not. Nor, on the other hand, is paleness of the bran an indication of weakness. Visual inspection of wheat is at best an unsatisfactory method of determining its quality or real value. "One knows the curious mass which remains when the starch is wasned away from flour. This is the protein substance known as gluten. It is due to this constituent that wheatcn flour possesses the peculiarities so invaluable in the making of bread. The gluten, which is a cohesive and elastic s>ubstanee, imprisons in small bubbles the gas generated by processes of fermentation, and it is upon the quantity and quality of the gluten that the strength of a flour very largely depends. The more the loaf rises, within reason, the better is the quality and quantity of the gluten; incidentally, it follows that the volume of a loaf may give one a measure of the quality of the flour from which it has been baked. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. "Undoubtedly the climatic conditions under which a wheat is grown have an important influence on its quality It has long been realised that comparatively high temperatures during the day, long days, and absence of excessive moisture during ripening hasten maturation of the grain and increase its gluten content. Such conditions prevail in parts of Canada, Russia, and Australia, and in certain of the United States, where some of the world's best wheat is grown. But it is worth noting that hot and dry Australia, which grows wheat of good quality, can slso grow weak wheats. Hot and dry California grows more weak wheats than strong. "It would seem to be an easy matter to introduce to this Dominion those varieties which have proved successful elsewhere. The trouble is, however, that a wheat which is good when grown in one country may deteriorate fairly rapidly when grown in another; or it may retain its strength but become such a poor yielder that it is unprofitable to grow. The complications are considerable, and it appears necessary for each country to work .out its own problem in this respect. "STRENGTH" WANTED. "In many respects the average wbeat grown in New Zealand is good. It yields exceedingly well, giving an average of over thirty bushels per acre, a figure which is exceeded nowhere outside Western Europe. This yield is 100 per cent, higher than the United States average, and 50 per cent, higher than the Canadian. - The crops aro disease-resistant, and some of the varieties are peculiarly adapted to local climatic conditions. In appearance they aro generally large, round, and rather bulky. All these qualities are desirable, influencing considerably the variety favoured by the grower. "Tho fact remains, however, that though the Dominion is a country specially favoured for the produni-ion of wheat, the varieties grown are jacking in some eases in strength. It is obvious that, so long as tho farmer is paid for tho quantity of wheat moro than for its quality, any improvement in strength can come about only by the introduction of varieties combining good yield per acre with this other good property of strength."