Amid global economic uncertainties, geopolitical strains and transformational waves of technology, Turkey’s flour milling sector stands resilient and poised for further expansion. In an exclusive interview with Miller Magazine, Zeki Demirtaşoğlu, President of The Association of Turkish Milling and Sector Machinery Manufacturers (DESMUD), unveils the secrets behind the sector’s enduring strength and the strategic vision steering Turkey’s flour milling powerhouse towards a record-breaking $5 billion in exports by the end of 2024.
The Turkish flour milling sector continues to thrive amidst economic challenges, wars, and geopolitical tensions. Despite global economic tightening and conflicts, the Turkish milling sector exceeded expectations in 2023, reaching over $3.5 billion in exports. Looking ahead to 2024, the Turkish milling sector anticipates reaching $5 billion in exports. The spotlight is on Africa and Latin America as key target markets.
In an interview with Miller Magazine, Zeki Demirtaşoğlu, President of The Association of Turkish Milling and Sector Machinery Manufacturers (DESMUD), he shared valuable insights into the sector’s resilience and promising future. Demirtaşoğlu’s insights provide a comprehensive overview of Turkey’s flourishing milling machinery sector and its commitment to sustainable practices on the global stage.
How would you describe the current state of the milling machinery sector in Turkey?
The Turkish milling sector is the export leader in the world and has maintained this position for many years. We predict that this sector, in which about 300 large and small companies operate in Turkey, will maintain its leadership in the world in the coming years thanks to its competitiveness in costs and its superior performance in quality and service.
How was the overall performance of the sector in 2023? Can you share the important achievements that stand out in 2023?
The Turkish milling sector concluded 2022 with exports amounting to 3.43 billion dollars and managed to exceed 3.5 billion dollars in 2023. Although precise figures are not available yet, this achievement is remarkable, considering the global economic tightening and conflicts during this period. We firmly believe that our industry will break a historical record by reaching the target of 5 billion dollars by the end of 2024. The milling sector continues to achieve significant successes in every field from storage, transport and unloading, grinding, sifting to automation, weighing and laboratory systems. The largest capacity flour, feed, starch and coffee factories in the world are established by Turkish milling machinery manufacturers. All of these facilities, where Industry 4.0 is used from storage operations to transport, grinding, sieving and automation systems, are operated by Turkish technicians.
What are the key challenges and opportunities that the sector is currently facing?
In a period of economic tightening in the world, states do not want to send the foreign currency they hold out of the country. For this reason, the Turkish milling machinery sector, which sells 94-97% of its production abroad, is experiencing difficulties in accessing loans for large investments to be made abroad, turning loans into cash and getting this cash out of the foreign country and coming to Turkey. For these reasons, unfortunately, many projects in the world have been postponed or some of them have been cancelled. These difficulties continue in a similar manner in all the countries we export to.
The pandemic that gripped the world for almost 3 years...Then the Russia-Ukraine war that broke out right on our doorstep...And finally the escalating tension in the Middle East. How was the sector affected by these global and geopolitical developments?
We expect the economic tightening model, which started in the USA and spread to the world, to come to an end in the third and fourth quarters of 2024. Therefore, the Turkish milling sector continues to prepare for the new period by strengthening its stocks. Our companies also continue the projects in their hands. Almost all of our milling machinery manufacturers have orders and projects for 1-1.5 years. In the third and fourth quarters of 2024, they aim to fulfil their factory production capacities for at least two years with orders for 2025 and 2026 by receiving new and strong orders.
The pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and the rising tension in the Middle East...All these have revealed how important access and accessibility to food and raw materials is, and brought food safety and security to the forefront. This process<
Enjoy the Taste of Pizza on World Pizz Day, Join the Flavor Feast!
Pizza, prepared with crispy yeast dough and baked in the oven, was traditionally covered with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and various toppings in the old days. However, nowadays, pizza has become a platform that pushes the boundaries of creativity. It can be topped with various savory ingredients, including sauces, meats, vegetables, and cheeses.
As seen, many people may perceive pizza as a low-nutrient food when they choose it. However, published data often show the opposite to be true. In fact, most pizzas are quite high in nutritional value. Serving as a good source of protein, pizza is also rich in complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.
Quality Control in Pizza Dough!
The pizza industry is a significant sector worldwide, hence there are many top ingredients that vary from country to country. Pizza is generally a flat tart made from bread dough. Pizza dough can be prepared chemically leavened or yeast-leavened. Flour is a basic ingredient in bakery products production, and there are various types of flour with different protein levels and qualities.
Pizza dough undergoes a process of freezing, storing, and thawing. Therefore, it's important for the flour used in frozen dough to have good strength and high protein content. Hard wheat varieties of flour with a protein content of 11-14% are often preferred for frozen dough products. Determine the protein property of pizza flour with the latest technology DA 9000 NIR device in less than 1 minute!
Traditionally consumed in European countries, especially Italy, pizza has commercial appeal in Latin American countries and the United States. This interest is based on reasons such as the low cost of the product and its ease of preparation for consumption. The basic formulation of pizza dough includes flour, water, salt, sugar, and yeast. Dough constitutes a large part of the product, and its appearance, texture, and taste are important characteristics for consumer acceptance and recognition. Therefore, dough quality is crucial as wheat flour, a structural component, and a basic ingredient play an important role in the quality of cooked foods.
Processing steps responsible for increasing the volume of dough and trapping gas include mixing and shaping the dough, dividing and shaping it, fermentation, stretching, and baking. Fermentation allows the dough to aerate; this occurs through the production of carbon dioxide in the aqueous phase of the dough and the formation of excess internal pressure forcing expansion in the alveoli. The stabilization of alveoli determines the structure and volume of the dough.
The dough is typically fermented at temperatures between 23 and 26 °C with baker's yeast until its initial volume increases 2-5 times or until the fermentation process. Despite most pizza dough production methods being similar, the lack of standardization reflects on parameters such as the appearance, height, texture, and other quality aspects of the final product. Achieving the appearance, consistency, taste, and consistency of the final product requires understanding gluten properties used in pizza dough. It is critical to determine gluten content of the flour used in crepe production for the purpose of identifying viscoelastic properties, baking behavior, and physical quality characteristics.
The edges of the pizza should be puffed up and gently browned. The dough should contain various sizes of pores so that the pizza has a light and tasty texture. The pizza dough should not be overly thick or too thin and crispy. For Quality Control in Pizza Dough, meet with Bastak Reology System Absograph 500 & Resistograph 500!
Identify the damaged starch amount with the SDCHEQ 15000 DEVICE, optimize your process, and achieve quality in your raw materials!
Pizzas are high in complex carbohydrates, particularly starches. Imbalance in starch damage or low protein levels can result in excessively sticky dough. Conversely, excessive amounts of pentosans and protein content in the flour can create a very loose dough.
With leading quality control devices from Bastak Instruments, the density of the dough is just right, the edges are puffy and lightly browned. With different sized pores in each slice, it's the key to that unique flavor. This pizza dough is perfectly balanced, neither too thick nor too thin; it has just the right taste and texture you're looking for. Now, all that's left is to pair this amazing dough with delicious ingredients and start the pizza feast!
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"The pancake, an indispensable part of the gastronomic world, appears as a widely consumed delicacy in many cultures worldwide.
French crepes are predominantly consumed as a traditional festival dessert in the French food industry. About 10% of the total production is exported to the United Kingdom.
The main ingredients of a crepe include flour, eggs, sugar, and butter. The crepe batter is similar to pancake batter but has a much higher water content. The final water content of a cooked crepe, when stored in a sealed package for approximately one month, is similar to that of a pancake (0.75/0.80).
Quality Control in Crepe Batter!
The foundation of the crepe's flavor lies in the quality of the batter. The composition, ratios, and ingredients used in the batter have a decisive impact on the texture and taste of the crepe. Therefore, regular quality control is essential to ensure that the batter consistently meets quality standards.
In sweet crepe batters, soft wheat flour is commonly used. T45 French flour, applicable to France, is often preferred for making crepes. Soft flour used in pastry products like cakes, cookies, and tarts has a protein content ranging from 6% to 11%. This type of flour offers a specific characteristic and stands out with its texture. Its water absorption capacity is 25% to 50% less than that of hard flours. Soft wheat flour has low gluten content (7.5/9) and is an ideal choice to add flavor and texture to pastries and crepes.
Main Quality Control Criteria in Crepe Production:
For quality control in crepe flour, Bastak Instruments with European Approval ICC No.189 and No. 192 standards are used!
When making crepe batter, water is mixed with gluten to make the batter elastic and give it a soft texture. Starch absorbs water in milk, increasing its volume, and the batter thickens.
Knowing the properties of the gluten used in crepe batter is crucial for the structure and texture of the batter. The flour used in crepe production has low gluten content (7.5/9).
Determine the protein characteristics of the flour with the DA 9000 NIR device in less than a minute using state-of-the-art technology!
Compared to soft wheat flours, hard wheat flours have higher protein content and consequently higher gluten content. Studies show that gluten content in soft wheat flour varies between 15.8% and 42.1%.
Optimize crepe texture with the Bastak Gluten Quality System, which complies with ICC No. 192 standards, with internationally proven results and test accuracy.
Soft wheat flours, when compared, have a characteristic texture due to their protein content of 6% to 11% and low gluten content (7.5/9). Their high-quality starch content enhances liquid gelatinization, resulting in a moist and light texture and a unique flavor.
To achieve the desired appearance, consistency, taste, and texture in the final product, use Bastak Reology System - Absograph 500 & Resistograph 500!
The water absorption capacity or the amount of water the flour can absorb significantly influences the properties of the dough and the final product. The dough's consistency and viscosity depend on the water absorbed by the flour. Using too little water can make the dough hard and dry, while using too much water can make it sticky and challenging to process.
Key quality control criteria for crepes include bubble structure and determining the optimal thickness of the batter. Although crepe batter is similar to pancake batter, it has a higher water content. The thickness of a cooked crepe in French crepes should not exceed 1mm.
For soft wheat lines, absorption varies between 50.7% and 59.0%. The optimum water absorption capacity of wheat flour is 60.2±0.15 (v/w, based on flour weight), arrival time 0.35 minutes, departure time 3.0 minutes, and stability ranging from 2.65 minutes.
Optimize your process by determining the damaged starch amount with the SDCHEQ 15000 device, and achieve quality in your raw materials!
Imbalances in starch damage or low protein levels can result in excessively sticky dough. On the other hand, an excess of pentosan and protein content in flour can create a very loose dough.
Your crepe batter is prepared to perfect standards. What makes your crepe special is the wide range of ingredient options. You can personalize your crepe with ingredients ranging from Nutella and bananas to resin. Whether sweet or savory, it's entirely up to you!"
Donuts are delicious snacks enjoyed with pleasure worldwide.
In its simplest form, donuts are typically made from a dough containing flour, water, sugar, eggs, and usually yeast or baking powder. The dough is then shaped into circles or other forms, fried to a golden brown in hot oil, and then coated with sugar, glaze, or other toppings.
The key to creating a true flavor celebration in donut production lies not only in the dough processing process but also in quality ingredients and quality control processes. Establishing an effective quality control system in the donut production process is crucial for elevating customer satisfaction, minimizing costs, labor, and time losses in the production process, and increasing brand value.
Let's take a look at our most delicious donut recipe!
The production of the most delicious donuts usually starts with wheat-based flour. Therefore, knowing the physical, chemical, and rheological properties of the flour to be used in production is critical for both the producer and the consumer.
The moisture content of donuts is directly related to the quality of the final product, which is flour. The adverse effects of moisture factors during storage can lead to sensory changes, causing the sugar on the donut surface to dissolve and loss of smoothness.
With the high-precision sensors coated in gold on Bastak Moisture Meter Device, moisture analysis is performed in 40 different sample types within 8-10 seconds in compliance with international standards.
The effects of starch, as the basic component of flour, vary depending on the damaged starch amount. Usually, 70-75% of flour consists of starch, but this ratio can vary depending on diversities and environmental factors. When the dough is kneaded, starch interacts with water, protein, fat, and other molecules, playing a crucial role, especially in gluten binding, as a filling material. Damaged starch granules absorb four times more water than undamaged starch.
Lack of damaged starch or low protein levels can lead to excessively sticky dough. On the other hand, excessive pentosan and protein in flour can create a very brittle dough. Instead of long and tedious analyzes to determine the damaged starch value, opt for the efficient Bastak 15000 SD Check! By detecting the amount of damaged starch with the SDCHEQ 15000 Device, optimize your process in donut production and capture quality in raw materials!
In order to achieve perfection in donuts with the DA 9000 NIR Device by Bastak Instruments, which operates on the principle of near-infrared transform with NIR technology, which includes in international standards from raw material supply to final product control in all processes, determine the protein content of flour in less than a minute.
Our flour, with Bastak Instruments' devices with precision control up to a thousandth of a millimeter, passed quality control tests with European-approved ICC No.189 and 192 standards, proving its excellent quality in the international arena!
Things to consider for a great dough; Let's start by obtaining a delicious dough. To achieve an ideal and quality dough in donut production, let's start with quality control tests on flour. When flour is mixed with water, it contains proteins called gluten and gliadin, which form gluten when mixed with water. Gluten provides the elasticity of the dough and allows it to expand without breaking, which is important for forming the structure of the donut.
Achieve optimization in Donut Texture with Bastak Gluten Quality System! Gluten strands, interacting with other strands and molecules, form networks that provide the flexibility of the dough. Bastak Gluten Q-System has ICC No. 192 standard, and its results and test accuracy have been proven in the international arena.
To achieve the perfect dough consistency in donuts, it is important to observe the amount of water added to the mixture correctly. If the dough contains too much water, it can cause the donuts to look defective, create large holes, and absorb more oil. If the dough is too firm, it results in a thick crust, a rough and broken surface on one side, and excessive oil absorption in cracks.
Insufficient kneading of the dough can result in a very firm and elastic product, requiring a longer fermentation time and not filling the baking tray or paper to the desired extent. Insufficient kneading generally produces a low-volume, dense, poorly symmetrical, or collapsed final product. Over-kneading the dough, on the other hand, can result in process difficulties such as excessively sticky dough, too loose elasticity, yielding donuts with excessive volume, large crumb bubbles, and other unwanted characteristics.
In donuts; Use Bastak Reology System Absograph 500 & Resistograph 500 to capture the appearance, consistency, and quality, taste, and consistency;! The unmatched and state-of-the-art reology system of Bastak Instruments provides the ideal dough consistency. Options of Bastak Absograph 500 & Resistograph 500 with universal standards offer perfect process optimization for the manufacturer at this critical stage by evaluating dough properties.
Finally, to make your dough super soft, add a little love and a little sugar.
Food chemistry, food microbiology, food physicochemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, general chemistry, biochemistry, instrumental analysis, and nutrition are various branches of food sciences that constitute an international scientific field. It encompasses systems where devices and equipment incorporating all physical, chemical, electrical-electronic, computer, and mechanical technologies and principles are developed and used.
With the continuously growing world population, the diversification of product groups, and the increasing demand for food, the importance of topics such as quality control, food safety, and food assurance significantly affects not only human health but also society, the environment, and ecosystem health.
Bastak Instruments, which has been serving as a Research and Innovation Hub in the fields of food, grain, oilseed, legume, and feed in the world and in Turkey for a quarter of a century, pursues a policy that ensures food safety and assurance, is environmentally friendly, consumer-oriented, sustainable, and fights against scarcity and food waste.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in rapid, reliable, and environmentally friendly technologies for the analysis of food components. The dependence of traditional methods on multiple devices and chemicals, their time-consuming nature, and the need for an analyst have led to the development of various alternative technologies.
Bastak Instruments, with its international staff and state-of-the-art machinery park in the fields of food science and food technology, has pioneered environmentally friendly technologies using robotic sampling systems, technological and fast solutions that facilitate modern life, and advanced sensors.
Spectroscopic analyses are based on measuring the properties of solutions, such as the absorption, transmission, or reflection of light. The absorption of a specific wavelength of light by a substance is a characteristic feature, much like other physical or chemical properties.
Near-Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy, one of the widely used technologies as an alternative to traditional food analysis methods, covers the wavelength range of 780 (12800 cm-1) to 2500 nm (4000 cm-1) in the electromagnetic spectrum. It forms absorption bands related to the vibrations of molecular bonds such as O-H, C-H, C-O, and N-H within the structure.
NIR Spectroscopy is based on the principle of correlating the absorption of electromagnetic spectrum in the mentioned wavelength range with the quality characteristics of food samples and resolving this correlation.
NIR Spectroscopy has been extensively researched and practically applied in various areas such as determining the milling properties of cereals, protein and moisture content, wet and dry gluten, Zeleny sedimentation, SDS sedimentation, miksograph peak resistance, gliadin and glutenin, essential amino acids, color, ash, starch damage, water absorption, dough strength, quality characteristics of fermented dough, and rheological properties of dough. It has also been used in researching and obtaining applicable data on determining the energy of various grain products, monitoring structural changes in bread during storage, determining wheat varieties, and quality analysis of bread.
The ICC Method studies using Bastak Instruments' DA 9000 NIR Technology provide users with a unique analysis experience globally, including research and development institutes, universities, quality control laboratories, and industries in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and Europe.
NIR Technique is widely used in the quantitative analysis of various components in fields such as chemistry, pharmacy, agriculture, etc. In the technology of grain, especially; results of quality criteria, including gluten, protein, ash, and sediment, can be determined with high accuracy. Grains can show differences in quality characteristics depending on the climate and soil characteristics of the region where they are grown. Therefore, developing calibration models with new data, obtaining accuracy and reliability of results with a high determination coefficient (R2) value are essential.
This technique does not damage the sample, and samples can be reused repeatedly. Multiple analysis results can be obtained simultaneously with one recorded spectrum. Thus, it is faster, more environmentally friendly, and economical compared to classical methods since no chemicals are used.
Bastak Instruments' NIR technology, which operates on the principle of near-infrared transform, is used in quality controls from raw material supply to the final product control in leading quality control laboratories worldwide. The DA 9000 NIR Devices, which use the NIR Technology, provide a sensitivity of one-thousandth of a millimeter, allowing for quality controls routinely in physical and chemical analyses of food and agricultural products.
Thanks to Bastak Instruments' superior and unparalleled NIR Technology, gluten value, protein value, moisture value, ash value, and Zeleny Sedimentation value in red wheat, white wheat, pasta wheat, and flour samples are measured within seconds.
