Flour

As the resulting flour by grinding cereal grains powder is called. It is extracted from the grains wheat, spelled, rye, oats, barley, millet, maize and rice, as well as pseudo- cereals such as buckwheat and quinoa. Self- Back Capable - so suitable for making bread - but they are only the flours from wheat, spelled, emmer and rye (bread cereal ). In a broader sense, other powder products of a milling process (such as eg fish meal, quartz powder, sawdust, bone meal, etc.) referred to as flour.

• 6.1 declaration
• 6.2 ascorbic acid
• 6.3 amylases
• 6.4 proteases
• 6.5 Back Technically effective amino acids

Word origin

The word " flour " is derived from the Old High German melo or the Middle High German mel. It is related to the English meal and the Latin molar.

Economic Importance

In grain marketing year 2010/2011 6.43 million tons of flour were manufactured in Germany. The domestic flour consumption was fully covered by local grinding grain rye and wheat. The average flour yield was 79.4 % for common wheat and rye at 89.5 %.

The average per capita consumption of flour ( wheat and rye) was 63.7 kg in the marketing year 2011/2012.

Production

According to the current state of the art, the grain is ground in a flour mill most effective between grinding rollers in the rolling chair. More shredders are ball mills, disintegrants, hammer mills or (formerly ) millstones. In modern flour mills found after each comminution takes a sieving and sifting in the plan sifter to separate the different particle sizes. This combination of rolling chair and plan sifter is called "Passage", of which a modern flour mill having a plurality. 14 passages and more are common sizes. In the wheat milling and semolina cleaning machines can be used in such passages between plansifter and rolling chair. In that the distances between the rollers of the individual passages are reduced, the material to be ground is ground fine. Here, Endospermpartikel, which are smaller than 150 microns, the same as the subtracted flour, larger particles are led to the next passage.

As part of the preparation of the fatty germ is removed by screening, for reasons of durability and the boundary layer or shell of the grain from the flour, grits are fed to the semolina cleaning machine, meal is fed back to a passage.

Grain can be different finely ground. Fall depending on the product guide in addition to the different amounts of flour meal, semolina, extractor and bran (co-production ). Flours and meals may also be ground, i.e., no flour is extracted before. Thus there will be whole grain ground and crushed. Also, the nutrient content of the flour depends on the degree of grinding.

Composition

Wheat flour consists of about 59-72 % carbohydrates (starch and mucilage, including 2:4-7 % dietary fiber), 14-15 % water, 10-12 % protein (of which, in turn, 80% gluten gluten and 20 % of soluble proteins), 0.9-2.3 % fat and 0.4 to 1.7 % mineral salts.

Flour with high extraction rate is dark and rich in vitamins (especially B vitamins ) and minerals, since a high proportion of the shell ( they are also called bran) with is ground. Flour with low extraction rate, however, is bright and rich in starch, which is included in milled corn kernel.

The typical particle size of flour is less than 180 microns. One speaks in connection with the extraction rate of flour extract and assigns the brightness of flour, such as wheat, spelled or rye, standardized to DIN 10355, a so-called Type.

Flour typing

Typing in Germany according to DIN

The term " the flour type " or simply " the type" comes from the technical language of the millers and bakers and is a measure of the mineral content of the flour. The determination of the type and brightness is made by the determination of mineral content. Low flour types such as 405 - with low mineral content - very bright, high types like 1800 very dark and rich in minerals. To type determination, a small amount of flour at 900 ° C is burned in a muffle furnace under laboratory conditions. The remaining ( non-combustible ) components are essentially the same mineral quantity of flour. They are also referred to as " ash content of the flour ."

For typing of flour products made ​​from wheat, rye and spelled, in Germany, since 1992, the DIN standard 10355th The flour type are the mineral content in mg per 100 g dry weight of.

Whole-grain products (flour, meal) and wheat semolina and wheat haze are untyped. Back shot differs from wholemeal fact that it no longer contains a seedling. As part of the EU research project Healthgrain a European full- grain definition has been developed which describes on current scientific knowledge, the term " whole grain " as follows: " Whole grain is to consist of the whole, ground, crushed or flockierten grains after the non-edible parts, such as husks and hulls were removed. The main components of the anatomy - the starchy endosperm, the germ and the shell - are present in the same proportion as in whole grain ".

Since corn is subject to a natural product as a function of climate and weather large variations in quality, composition, flours derived therefrom are often mixed, such that they meet outside the Brightness (Type) and certain mechanical and enzymatic specifications. These are essential for the baking quality of the flour.

Typing in Austria

The DIN - typing is not valid in Austria. In addition to a type classification is a classification of smooth, universal, good grip, double grip, in order of increasing grain size used.

Comparison of the flour type numbers between Austria and Germany

Typing in Switzerland

In Switzerland, the DIN typing, at least officially, not applied. A distinction is made between different Ausmahlgraden that are defined on the basis of mineral content. Base flour for the baker needs in bags over 25 kg but are often marked with the flour type according to DIN.

Information on flour in Switzerland:

Prescribed limits in Italy

Additives ( flour treatment agent )

Declaration

For prepackaged, which are delivered to the end user, the flour treatment must be declared in the ingredients list. (Except for enzymes)

Example, wheat flour, List of ingredients:

• Wheat
• Flour treatment agent L- ascorbic acid

Chemical preservatives or coloring or bleaching of flour is not allowed under German food law.

Ascorbic acid

Often wheat flour of ascorbic acid (vitamin C, and E 300) is added to (1-2 g/100 kg flour). This has technological reasons: ascorbic acid strengthens the gluten structure, thus ensuring better baking results. As an antioxidant, it binds oxygen in the flour. It counteracts the reduction of oxygen assisted by originating from the seedling fatty acids, ie rancidity. During the baking process, the ascorbic acid is destroyed because it is not heat resistant. Without ascorbic acid powder is a limited shelf life.

Amylases

Biotechnologically produced amylases ( from bacteria or mold cultures ) are used as flour treatment agent, if the flour is low in starch-degrading enzymes and thus its gas -forming ability in baking can be very pronounced. By amylases occur fermentable single and double sugars, which are converted by Backhefepilze in ethanol and carbon dioxide at the Gare and thus let the dough rise. In addition, the biscuits obtained a better browning after treatment.

Proteases

Genetically engineered proteases ( from bacteria or mold cultures ) are used as flour treatment agent when the gluten structure of the wheat flour is too tight and the gluten framework prevents a sufficient rising of the dough. The application was originally from the U.S., where it is difficult for traditionally very strong adhesives to produce Crunch snaps or cracker flours. Proteases cleave the amino acid chains of the adhesive and thus ensure that the adhesive is soft and elastic. In addition, proteases cleave off terminal - NH 2 groups, which improves the flavor formation in pastry.

Back Technically effective amino acids

• Flour treated with cysteine ​​( E920 ) act functionally similar to treated with proteinases. Made from this flour dough softening as compared to non-treated Referenzteig.
• Flour treated with cystine effect of the tendency forth like treated with ascorbic acid. The doughs made ​​from this flour are tighter than reference doughs with untreated flour.

Use

Flour is used as the basis of doughs for the preparation of baked goods or pasta. 100 kg of flour approximately 3000-4000 bread can be established. The amount of flour in a dough serves as bakers computational basis for the determination of the other ingredients. The amount of flour is used as a reference value of 100%. One speaks of " yield " when the dough is based on the flour weight. The absorption rate varies depending on the addition of water. It is to bind the water depends on the ability of the flour. With the same flour, therefore, a soft dough has a higher absorption rate than a stiff dough; therefore the absorption rate varies for different baked goods.

Flour is also an important raw material for binding of many sauces, more rarely, soups, and is here in the form of a roux ( Austrian: burn ) was used. This is also the starting material for the gruel, a traditional carnival court, particularly in Switzerland.

Storage

Flour is properly stored at below 20 ° C and a relative humidity of below 65%. Under these conditions, light meals ( up to Type 812 ) about 1 year to 1 ½ years, darker flour (up to Type 1050 or Type 1370 ) about six to eight months, and whole grains for about six to eight weeks are storable without loss of quality. For prolonged storage uses primarily the reduction of fatty acids ( from the germ and the shells ) and the flour starts to become rancid.

When flour is exposed to direct sunlight, the flour dyes decompose very quickly and the flour bleaches.

Flammability

Flour dust in the air can lead to explosive mixtures and ignition to a flour dust explosion. The much larger surface area of finely divided particles in the air flour enables a much higher reaction rate, ie an explosive reaction.

The largest flour dust explosion in German-speaking took place in the Roland mill in Bremen on 6 February 1979. In a chain reaction where several explosions were released consecutively. As a result, 14 people died, there were 17 injured and damage to property in the order of the equivalent of about 50 million euros.

Others

The Melberei (from Middle High German mel for flour ) is a Bavarian- Austrian name for a flour plot. The flour dealer is called Melber. The term is no longer in use, but has lived in many family names on. A description of a Melberei and rolling action towards the end of the 19th century can be found in the autobiography " stages of life" by Fritz Schumacher.