Laboratory milling method for whole grain soft wheat flour evaluation

Authors: GUTTIERI, MARY - The Ohio State University; Souza, Edward; SNELLER, CLAY - The Ohio State University

Submitted to: Cereal Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/16/2010
Publication Date: 1/1/2011
Citation: Guttieri, M.J., Souza, E.J., Sneller, C. 2011. Laboratory milling method for whole grain soft wheat flour evaluation. Cereal Chemistry. 88(1):1-5.

Interpretive Summary: Many food manufacturers are using whole grain flour in developing new product lines for consumers to improve the nutrition of American consumers. No publicly available method has been published to produce experimental soft wheat flour for whole grain products. We publish an affordable method that matches commercial flour samples and is useful for evaluation of cultivars in development for use in whole wheat flours to meet the recommended daily servings of fiber required for good nutrition.

Technical Abstract: Whole grain wheat products are a growing portion of the foods marked in North America, yet few standard methods exist to evaluate whole grain wheat flour. This study evaluated two flour milling systems to produce whole grain soft wheat flour for a standard soft wheat product, a wire-cut cookie. A short-flow experimental milling system combined with bran grinding in a Quadro Comil produced a whole grain soft wheat flour that made larger diameter wire cut cookies than whole grain flour from a long flow experimental milling system. The average cookie diameter of samples milled on the short-flow mill was greater than samples milled on the long-flow system by 1 cm per two cookies (standard error 0.09 cm). The long flow milling system resulted in more starch damage in the flour milling more than did the short-flow system. The short flow milling system produced flours that were useful for discriminating among wheat genotypes and is an accessible tool for evaluating whole grain soft wheat quality.