6 BULLETIN 522, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



All white wheats are conveniently grouped as western white, in 

 accordance with the general practice throughout the country. Durum 

 wheat receives the usual separate classification. 



WHEAT QUALITY. 



Before proceeding with a discussion of the results of this investiga- 

 tion, some of the factors relating to milling quahty wiU be considered. 

 Accepting the proposition that the only sound basis for the deter- 

 mination of the quahty of wheat is by a consideration of its fitness 

 for the manufacture of flour and by a study of the characteristics of 

 the flour, special emphasis has been laid upon investigations involving 

 miUing and bakino^ tests. 



The term ''milUng quality" has a varied meaning, and in speaking 

 of wheat of liigli milhng quality two millers may have very different 

 standards in mind. Broadly speaking, any wheat which will yield a 

 high percentage of white, sound flour is of good miUing quahty. 

 But this definition holds only when wheat fiour is considered as flour 

 and it is not recognized that there is a remarkable variation in the 

 characteristics of flour made from cUfferent types of wheat. The 

 manufacturer of a cracker or pastry flour desires a wheat which is 

 preferably low in protein, rather than glutinous, and he finds that 

 the soft red or white wheats are well suited to his needs. In selecting 

 he is chiefly concerned in securing wheat of these types that is 

 plump and sound and that wiU yield a liigh percentage of white flour. 



On the other hand, a miller who is making what is primarily a 

 bread flour desires a hard glutinous wheat, the flour from which has 

 a combination of qualities that under the proper treatment will 

 produce a large light loaf of bread of even porosity or texture. Such 

 "flour is said to be of high baking strength. Because of the demand 

 made by the baker for "strong" flour, the miller is often willing to 

 sacrifice a httle on flour yield to secm'e wheat the flour from which 

 has this desirable characteristic. Another desired flour quality from 

 the bakers' standpoint is water absorption, or the amount of water 

 required by the flour to mix the dough to a standard consistency. 

 Importance is attached to this, largely because of the relationship 

 which is borne by this factor to yield of bread per utiit of flour. 



To recapitulate, from the standpoint of the miUer, a high-grade 

 milling wheat for bread making must yield a high percentage of white 

 (color) merchantable (sound) flour of high baking strength (loaf 

 volume and texture), whicli is capable of giving a good yield of bread 

 per unit of flour by virtue of its ability to absorb water and retain 

 the same (water absorption) during baking. Hard spring and hard 

 winter wheats are best suited for the production of flour of this kind, 

 but, on the other hand, flour from these types of wheat is not so weU 

 adapted for the making of crackers or pastry products. 



