Effect of wheat pearling on flour quality

Abstract

Debranning or cereal kernel pearling is increasingly recognised by the milling and baking industry as an important stage in cereal processing because it lowers the capital investment costs, giving as well, the benefit of better quality products. Pearling is the process, prior to milling that with the application of abrasion and friction removes effectively only the bran layers from the cereal grains, allowing nutritious parts, such as the aleurone layer to remain in the intact kernels. This pre-treatment potentially could also improve milling yields of superior flour quality. However, so far, there is no satisfactory explanation as to why pearled flour performs better than the unpearled. The effect of the wheat pearling prior to milling was investigated and the results showed that pearling affects flour quality characteristics. Using a laboratory scale Bühler mill, two samples of hard wheat were used, one with (pearled) and the other without the debranning pre-treatment (unpearled) to test whether pearling affects flour milling and hence flour quality. It was found that the flour obtained from pearled wheat had differences from the unpearled wheat flour in the composition, structural properties; particle size distribution and starch damage and starch gelatinisation temperature.