Cost Of Flour Research Articles

Operational control of grain grinding efficiency

The authors of the article consider the properties of grain as an expensive and very complex raw material. With varietal milling of wheat in the cost of flour, the main share falls on the purchase of grain - up to 80 ... 85%. Therefore, when organizing and maintaining varietal grinding, it is required to optimize the modes of the main processes of the technology both in the preparatory and grinding sections of the mill, moreover, based on the choice of objective criteria for the efficiency of processes. The authors found out that the values obtained are significantly behind modern ones, which indicates the progress made in the organization and management of flour technology, in particular, characterizes the success in equipping our technology with highly efficient equipment.

Exploring community perceptions in preparation for a randomised controlled trial of biofortified flour in Pakistan

BackgroundBiofortification of staple food crops may be a cost-effective and sustainable approach to reducing micronutrient deficiencies in resource-poor settings with low dietary diversity. However, its success depends on uptake by the local population. This paper presents formative research conducted in a remote, rural community in North West Pakistan, prior to commencing a randomised controlled trial to test the effectiveness of consuming zinc-biofortified wheat flour for alleviating zinc deficiency. It explored local community members’ knowledge, understanding and attitudes towards biofortification and views on members of their community taking part in the trial.MethodsFour focus group discussions were conducted with male and female community members (separately for cultural reasons) and four in-depth interviews were conducted with Jirga members—respected male elders. Participation was limited to households that were ineligible for the trial so that we could explore the perspectives of community members who were not influenced by the incentives of the trial. Focus group participants were selected at community events for transparency. Data collection took place at the local school and homes of Jirga members. Thematic analysis was undertaken, using a combination of deductive and inductive approaches to identify key themes.ResultsA total of 47 men and women participated in this study. Participants reported clear motivation to access and consume more nutritious flour, believing this would bring health benefits, particularly to women and children. Trusted members of the local community, including Jirga members and female health workers, should be involved in providing information on biofortified flour (and the trial) to increase levels of awareness and acceptance. Without their involvement, there is a risk that biofortified flour would be mistrusted. The cost of flour is the main factor affecting purchasing decisions, and biofortified flour will need to be cost-competitive to achieve widespread uptake in marginalised, rural communities.ConclusionThis formative study generated rich, qualitative data from a range of community stakeholders to improve the understanding of important barriers and facilitators to the widespread acceptability and adoption of biofortified wheat. Implementation research such as this will inform future decision-making in relation to scaling up biofortified wheat in Pakistan.

Technological Improvements of Grain Preparation for Milling in Small Enterprises

Introduction. In small enterprises with simplified technological process of graded milling, preparations, which involve cleaning, peeling and moistening grain, play an essential role for ensuaring high quality of graded flour. Modern equipment for the low-productive mills implies only dry cleaning of grains in an abrasive machine with their further cold conditioning. The equipment designed for graded milling with deep multiple cleaning, washing and hydrothermal treatment is not possible. It significantly increases the cost of flour. The aim of the study is to increase both qualitative and quantitative indicators of graded flour in small enterprises through peeling and drying of grains before milling. Materials and Methods. The quality analyses of grain processing according to such indicators as ash content (whiteness), moisture, quantity of fractured grains were carried out according to State Standards of the Russian Federation and the methods established in science and practice. The degree of peeling was determined by the whiteness indicator with a photoelectric whitener SKIB-M (GOST 26361-2013 “Flour. Test method for whiteness”). Grain moisture was determined according to GOST 13586.5-2015 by the drying cabinet DEC-3M (drying electrical cabinet, model type 3M). The number of fractured grains was determined according to GOST 30483-97. Results. The research result revealed the dependence of grain processing on the technical aids. А combined peeling–drying machine was developed on this principle. The authors have developed rational operations of grain processing, which increase the whiteness of the received flour on average 4–7 conventional units. The standard instrument for whiteness definition has been studied and set. According to the given results optimal operating parameters for grain processing before milling have been developed: machine productivity (Q = 700 kg/h); the period of grain processing (t = 72 s.); optimum moisture content (from the point of view of obtained flour whiteness) of grains received for milling (W = 14 %); radiant power (P = 1 000 W). Conclusions. The research proved the fact that peeling of grains is one of the most effective ways of increasing the grade of end products of small enterprises with simplified technological process of graded milling. The efficiency of peeling seeds of wheat with humidity higher than 16 % decreases that speaks for the need to dry grains. The authors of the article introduce the equipment and technology for grain processing before graded milling, which provide grain peeling and, if necessary, drying. The operating parameters of the peeling-drying machine for preparation of grains for milling have been determined. The developed technology provide, if necessary, drying the remoistened grain to necessary standards that gives the chance to produce high-quality flour from the grains processed hydrothermally without processing moisture conditions required. The machine productivity in the mode of drying should be connected with the power of microwave infrared radiation, and its time and power should be limited to a maximum permissible grain temperature, which does not exceed 60 ºС. Keywords: peeling, whiteness, moisture, drying, preparation of grain for grinding For citation: Anisimov A. V., Rudik F. Ya., Zagorodskih B. P. Technological Improvements of Grain Preparation for Milling in Small Enterprises. Vestnik Mordovskogo universiteta = Mordovia University Bulletin. 2018; 28(4):603–623. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15507/0236-2910.028.201804.603-623 Acknowledgments: The study was conducted as part of an agreement with the Foundation for Assistance to Development of Small Enterprises in Scientific and Technical Sphere (No. 180GS1 / 6784, 25 December 2014) under the “START-1” program together with “Healthy Food” LLC.