The food industry, with its vast range, is a sector that touches the lives of billions of people worldwide and plays a critical role in the food chain. Scientific and technical advancements in the global food industry not only accelerate the nutritional value of food products but also emphasize the importance of technical expertise and safety in ensuring food quality and control. The rapid progress in food sciences and technology increases the significance of food quality and control due to the rationalization, storage, and transportation challenges, as well as incorrect practices in the industry.
Wheat, as a unique legacy provided by the soil and a fundamental food item for humanity, has held a significant place in our nutrition chain for thousands of years. Wheat and cereal products, ranking first among food sources, have played a crucial role in shaping human history. Wheat, the plant with ecological tolerance second only to humans, is cultivated on approximately six million square kilometers worldwide. In addition to being a primary source of starch and energy, global wheat consumption has reached 66.8 kg per person, providing essential proteins, vitamins, dietary fibers, phytochemicals, and antioxidant activity for human health.
In Turkey, the importance of grains and grain products is substantial, both in terms of consumption habits and economic contribution. Our curiosity about wheat goes beyond traditional dietary habits, stemming from Anatolia's nature as the genetic center. The origins of all wheat varieties were determined to be in the Karacadağ foothills near Urfa Göbeklitepe, the world's first settlement. As of 2016, 198 bread and 61 pasta varieties were registered. In 2015, Turkey produced 22.6 million tons of wheat, accounting for 3.3% of global production, with four out of every five farmers cultivating wheat.
Wheat and wheat products serve as raw materials for various food items like flour, semolina, bran, cracked wheat, gluten, bran, and starch. It is estimated that there are 15 species and around 30,000 varieties of wheat. Economically, wheat varieties are classified into durum wheat (used for pasta), common wheat (used for bread), and compact wheat (used for biscuits). Different wheat and milling products contribute to the commercial value of bread, pasta, biscuits, cakes, crackers, and cookies. Ensuring quality control from raw materials to the final product is a critical factor that shapes not only the success of businesses but also the trust of consumers. Quality control from raw materials is the first step in the processing process, involving the careful selection and examination of grains, seeds, oilseeds, and legumes in the field. Quality control begins in the field with mobile quality control devices and continues with analyses in the factory.
In the success story behind every tasty and nutritious product, quality control from raw materials plays a crucial role. This significant stage has the power to identify potential quality issues by determining the essential components of products early on. This allows intervention at the beginning of the production process, ensuring the achievement of perfect quality in the final product.
Laboratory mills that provide quality control and product optimization play a crucial role in analyzing raw materials at the factory entrance, controlling the quality of semi-finished and, if applicable, finished products, preventing adverse situations in multimillion-dollar installations.
Moisture content analysis, one of the most commonly used basic analyses in food processing and control, is an important factor affecting food durability. An increase in moisture content beyond a certain level enhances microbial activity. Additionally, low moisture content in grains and legumes can lead to unwanted situations such as mold, spontaneous combustion, germination, harmful insects, toxins, etc.
Determining and testing the quantity and quality of proteins during the processing of raw materials into the final product is essential for producers and consumers. Proteins, determining many characteristic properties of dough, hydrate and form a network with water in the mixture, spreading gluten in the dough mass. The hydration of gluten protein significantly influences oxidation during fermentation.
The proteolytic and amylolytic enzyme activities also play a significant role in determining the quality of flour, the cornerstone of the most crucial food, and the milling industry. To obtain the right consistency of dough, the absorption of excessively damaged starch-containing flours should be reduced. Excessive starch damage reduces bread volume and adversely affects bread quality. For good bread production, the flour used must contain a certain level of damaged starch. An excessive increase in this ratio reduces gas-holding ability when there is not enough gluten to cover the excessive surface area, negatively affecting the fermentation process.
The crucial steps in dough production in food processes include kneading, shaping, and fermentation. Kneading, where mechanical force is applied to the dough, results in physical and chemical changes. The kneading process, which primarily affects the final product's quality, is a crucial parameter in evaluating dough quality.
Rheology of dough, covering studies on the flow and deformation of dough, is based on the principle of measuring the force generated by applying controlled deformation or stress to the dough for a specific period. Rheology analyses provide essential information in the food industry, helping to determine differences in flour qualities, select suitable raw materials, and identify changes in dough during fermentation.
In conclusion, these analyses in the food industry contribute not only to product quality but also to the optimization of processing processes. Qualified control supports the mission of providing consumers with healthy, delicious, and high-quality products in the production of flour-based products.
