Wheat
Wheat grain (Triticum aestivum L.) is the world's leading agricultural source of energy, protein and fiber; it belongs to a family Graminaea and genus Triticum and can be categorized into three main classes - hard, soft and durum. Wheat quality can best be described in terms of end-user, nutritional quality, milling, and baking and rheology quality. In general wheat needs to be sound, clean, well mature, free from foreign material and damaged.[4]
Wheat quality
In general wheat quality can be divided into three main groups (i) botanical (species and varieties), (ii) physical (iii) and chemical characteristics.
Botanical Criteria of Quality In botanical terms, wheat quality can be described as falling into the following two main criteria (i) species and (ii) varieties.
Physical criteria
Physical characteristics of wheat quality includes, grain weight, hardness, grain size and shape, vitreousness and color.
Physical properties of grain such as wheat play a very important role in the quality of the grain, and in final products such as flour. Main physical properties that influence quality of wheat are test weight, hardness, grain size and shape, vitreousness and color.
Test weight
Test weight of wheat is considered the most common and easiest way to quantify wheat. It is an important quality factor in wheat grading as it gives rough estimates of flour yields. The basic factors that affect the test weight of wheat are kernel size and shape, kernel density, maturity of wheat, anseases and actual wheat variety.[5]
Hardness
The hardness of wheat endosperm is critical in determining the suitability of wheat for various end products and influences the processing and milling of wheat. It is the common characteristic used by millers and trader to classify wheat. In term of hardness wheat can be classified as either hard or soft.[6]
| Grain type | Length (mm) | Shape (ratio) | weight (mg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-grain | 6.61 to 7.5 | over 3 | 15 - 20 |
| Medium-grain | 5.51 to 6.6 | 2.1 to 3 | 17 - 24 |
| Short-grain | up to 5.5 | up to 2.1 | 20 -24 |
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