by
Dimitrios Vasilakopoulos, Head of Baking and Rheology Lab, Mühlenchemie, and
David Nolte, Rheology & Milling, Mühlenchemie, GmbH
The long period of drought and hot weather in large parts of Europe and Russia has caused massive damage to the 2018 wheat crop. New enzyme systems make it possible to compensate for quality deficits in low-amylase flours and lower the falling numbers.
In numerous growing areas in Eastern and Western Europe, farmers experienced a state of emergency during the summer months. A drastic water shortage and extremely long periods of heat caused reduced grain set and poor grain filling in the wheat fields in many regions. At temperatures that sometimes exceeded 50 °C, the grains ripened much too early and had to be threshed prematurely.
Whereas farmers face massive reductions in the quantity of the harvest, millers will have to cope with deficits in quality. Since the grains remained dormant for a long time because of the dry weather, they contain only a small proportion of the enzymes normally present in cereals.
A low enzyme content causes flours to bake dry
In particular, the level of alpha- and beta-amylases is an important criterion for assessing the quality of flour, since it is these enzymes that determine the conversion of starches. If the amylase content is low, too little sugar is formed – sugar that the yeast needs for fermentation. This deficit results in products with a low volume and poor leavening. Flours with low amylolytic activity also have a tendency towards inadequate browning and “baking dry”, and they become stale quickly.
The falling number: an indicator of amylase activity
As a rule, the amylase activity of a flour and its ability to break down starch is analysed by measuring the falling number. In this method, the viscosity of a heated suspension of flour or meal and water is determined: the longer a pestle takes to penetrate the starch paste, the lower is the amylase content.
Although this laboratory value does not always correlate with the results of the baking process, many bakeries regard the falling number as a quality parameter with a bearing on the price. The bread industry usually prefers values between 250 and 350 s.
To ensure that mills can meet the relevant specifications even when processing the 2018 crop, Mühlenchemie offers a toolbox with different systems for regulating the falling number.
Read the full article, HERE.
The long period of drought and hot weather in large parts of Europe and Russia has caused massive damage to the 2018 wheat crop. New enzyme systems make it possible to compensate for quality deficits in low-amylase flours and lower the falling numbers.
In numerous growing areas in Eastern and Western Europe, farmers experienced a state of emergency during the summer months. A drastic water shortage and extremely long periods of heat caused reduced grain set and poor grain filling in the wheat fields in many regions. At temperatures that sometimes exceeded 50 °C, the grains ripened much too early and had to be threshed prematurely.
Whereas farmers face massive reductions in the quantity of the harvest, millers will have to cope with deficits in quality. Since the grains remained dormant for a long time because of the dry weather, they contain only a small proportion of the enzymes normally present in cereals.
A low enzyme content causes flours to bake dry
In particular, the level of alpha- and beta-amylases is an important criterion for assessing the quality of flour, since it is these enzymes that determine the conversion of starches. If the amylase content is low, too little sugar is formed – sugar that the yeast needs for fermentation. This deficit results in products with a low volume and poor leavening. Flours with low amylolytic activity also have a tendency towards inadequate browning and “baking dry”, and they become stale quickly.
The falling number: an indicator of amylase activity
As a rule, the amylase activity of a flour and its ability to break down starch is analysed by measuring the falling number. In this method, the viscosity of a heated suspension of flour or meal and water is determined: the longer a pestle takes to penetrate the starch paste, the lower is the amylase content.
Although this laboratory value does not always correlate with the results of the baking process, many bakeries regard the falling number as a quality parameter with a bearing on the price. The bread industry usually prefers values between 250 and 350 s.
To ensure that mills can meet the relevant specifications even when processing the 2018 crop, Mühlenchemie offers a toolbox with different systems for regulating the falling number.
Read the full article, HERE.
The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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