Power to The Bakers.How To Check The Quality of Wheat Flour?
Wheat flour is a staple food in most of the countries. The nutritionists and dieticians consider it healthy because it is rich in vitamins (B1, B3, B5), mineral, and fiber. The most important fact that generally skips from people’s minds is that it has a low glycemic index. It means that it is ideal for people who are suffering from diabetes. Everyone should have wheat flour in their little kitchen to ensure that their family stays fit and healthy.
Now doubt wheat flour is considered super healthy, but the quality of the wheat flour depends on where you are getting it. Nowadays everything is adulterated including grains and flour. It becomes difficult to pick the best quality wheat flour. So how to check the quality of the wheat flour? Whether it is good for you or not?
Examining the color of the wheat flour:
It is very simple to determine color differences in different wheat flour batches. Just look at the color of different types of flour under a sheet of glass. You can employ this method with not just wheat flour but different types of flour. Through this method, you could easily compare the different quality of wheat flour, based on the whiteness. Moreover, this method would also be useful in inspecting impurities in wheat flour. According to the experts, the flour should be of perfectly regular consistency and not contain any specks.
When you examine the wheat flour, just check whether you find pebbles, straw, weed seeds, or damaged grains in it. If yes, then it is not good quality wheat flour. You must not pick a flour that has wheat bran. To check the presence of wheat bran in the flour, just sprinkle the flour on the glass of water, if you see the bran floating on the surface of the water then you must not buy it.
Checking the texture and feel of the wheat flour:
You might be knowing that the texture and the size of the granules play an important role in kneading the perfect dough. Moreover, it helps in determining the speed at which the dough rises. To be specific, if you tough the wheat flour and feel the texture is coarse and forms lumps, then the flour is not fresh. The wheat flour must be very smooth and fine in texture.
Wheat Flour’s Absorption Ability :
The absorption ability of the wheat flour measures the amount of water that the flour can retain by a given quantity of flour. When the wheat flour is fresh and of high quality, it will have a high absorption capacity. This absorption capacity of the wheat flour decreases with time. Moreover, the absorption capacity also helps in determining dough yield and its shelf life.
Moisture Content In Wheat Flour:
The presence of moisture content helps in determining whether the wheat flour is fresh or stale. It also helps in identifying the shelf life of the wheat flour. As per the experts, if the moisture level exceeds 16 % the shelf life of the wheat flour reduces. To get high-quality wheat flour, ensure that the moisture level is about 14-15%, which when stored in appropriate conditions (relatively cool, dry, and aerated) yields longer shelf life. In this way, you can protect the wheat flour from starch damage.
Analyzing The Quality Of Wheat Flour Through Flour Ash:
You might be thinking how flour ash can help in identifying the quality of wheat flour? Ash indicates the mineral material in the wheat flour. With the help of tests, you can easily determine the ash content. It involves incinerating a known weight of flour under controlled conditions, weighing the residue, and calculating the percentage of ash-based upon the original sample weight. When the wheat grains are milled, the aim is to separate the endosperms from the non-endosperms part of the basic wheat kernel. Generally, the separating is difficult and thus the flour gets contaminated with non-endospermic particulate and increases the ash content in wheat flour. Therefore, determining the amount of ash content in wheat flour helps in knowing whether the flour is of high quality or not.
Summary:
Identifying the quality of wheat flour is quite essential because you would be baking a lot of food items and consuming it on a daily basis. So to reap the benefits of wheat flour and gain proteins and nutrients from it, you must focus on getting high-quality wheat flour.