Researchers in Kansas State University have developed a new method for higher purity in wheat flour. The new testing method will help the millers measure the endosperm purity in wheat flour.

Kansas State University researchers have developed a new testing method to help millers assure wheat flour purity that will meet baking industry standards and consumers' expectations. The test introduces sophisticated molecular methods that focus on high, endosperm purity in flour extracted from wheat kernels. When completed, the work being done at the university will allow the miller to exclude inferior flour streams from the final product. "We are helping the miller by measuring the endosperm purity for flour streams coming from each stage of the milling process," said Mark Boatwright, a Kansas State University doctoral candidate in biochemistry and molecular biophysics from Runnels, Iowa. "This will allow the miller to optimize settings on equipment and make decisions to meet the baker's specifications for quality flour." The Kansas State University scientists analyzed 29 flour streams from a commercial wheat mill to determine the endosperm purity as it moves closer to becoming flour for bread or other products. "The result is an endosperm purity profile that enables the miller to determine the point at which a cutoff is required to maintain purity for the baker and, ultimately, the consumer," Boatwright said.