Wheat Flour

Brief Overview

Wheat flour is often used as an ingredient in several formulated foods to improve texture. It is a tenderizer in cakes, doughnuts, cookies, and cheese analogs. It is incorporated into batters, ice creams, soups, gravies, etc., to provide adhesion, structure, moisture control, and/or thickening. Wheat flour is also used to produce hydrolysis products such as syrups and sweeteners, which are widely used in the beverages and confectionery industry. 

Manufacturing Process

Wheat flour is produced by physical separation from nonstarch constituents. Various processes of wet wheat milling were developed for the production of starch. The basic steps in these processes were steeping, grinding, and separating grain components. The Halle fermentation process involved steeping grains in water, followed by the crushing of softened grains and fermentation of the mash. Fermentation degraded gluten and released starch separated by screening and refined by repeated dilution and decantation of the wash water and light solids deposited above the settled starch.

Food Industry

Wheat flour is mainly used as a thickening agent in the food industry. It assists with the texture, viscosity, gel formation, adhesion, binding, and moisture retention of the food product and can also be used as a fat substitute. It is also an emulsifier, stabilizer, and clouding or glazing agent.