Pure Flour Research Articles

Technofunctional Properties and Rheological Behavior of Quinoa, Kiwicha, Wheat Flours and Their Mixtures.

Wheat flour is a common raw material in the food industry; however, Andean grains, such as quinoa and kiwicha, are gaining popularity due to their quality proteins, fiber, and bioactive compounds. A trend has been observed toward the enrichment of products with these Andean flours, with them even being used to develop gluten-free foods. However, evaluating interactions between raw materials during industrial processes can be complicated due to the diversity of inputs. This study focused on evaluating the technofunctional and rheological properties of wheat, quinoa and kiwicha flours using a simple lattice mixture design. Seven treatments were obtained, including pure flours and ternary mixtures. Analyses of particle size distribution, water absorption index, subjective water absorption capacity, soluble material index, swelling power, apparent density and physicochemical properties were performed. Additionally, color analysis, photomicrographs and Raman spectroscopy were carried out. The results indicate significant differences in properties such as particle size, water absorption and rheological properties between the flours and their mixtures. Variations in color and microstructure were observed, while Raman spectroscopy provided information on molecular composition. These findings contribute to the understanding of the behavior of Andean flours in baking and pastry making, facilitating their application in innovative food products.

Artichoke Industrial Waste in Durum Wheat Bread: Effects of Two Different Preparation and Drying Methods of Flours and Evaluation of Quality Parameters during Short Storage.

'Violetto di Ramacca' is a local variety of artichoke grown in Sicily (Southern Italy), known for its purple color with green streaks. In this study, the effects of two different preparation and drying methods (method A, fresh sample oven-dried at 40 °C for 48 h then mixed and ground into flour; and B, minced and frozen sample oven-dried at 40 °C for 24 h then blended and ground into flour) for flours from different parts of the artichoke (bracts, stems, and mix), used at different percentages of integration (5, 7.5, and 10%), in combination with re-milled semolina, have been evaluated. The polyphenol contents of the flours produced with the two methods were measured. The results showed significant differences between the methods and samples, with a range from 9.09 mg GAE/g d.m. (bracts 100%, method A) to 2.62 mg/g (mix 100%, method B). The values were then lowered in the flour products with supplements ranging from 0.96 mg GAE/g (bract flour 10%, method A) to 0.11 mg GAE/g (mixed flour 7.5%, method B). As the amounts of polyphenols increased, the antioxidant activity increased, with a range that varied in the pure flour from 8.59 mg trolox eq/g d.m. (bract flour, method A) to 3.83 mg trolox eq/g d.m. (mixed flour, method B). These flours were also analyzed for color, highlighting a clear difference between methods A (greener) and B (browner). The flours thus obtained were used to produce breads, which were evaluated for their physicochemical characteristics during 4 days of storage. The results showed a reduction in volumes and heights, an increase in the percentage of integration of the artichoke flours, a greater quantity of moisture in the integrated breads, and a lower reduction in the structural characteristics during storage compared to the control breads. The TPA was conducted on the breads from T0 to T4, highlighting that, although initially more compact, the integrated breads offered less alteration of the values during storage. The aw ranged from 0.63 (mix flour 5%, method B) to 0.90 (bract flour 5%, method B). The amounts of polyphenols (from 0.57 mg GAE/g in bread with bracts at 10% (method A) to 0.13 mg GAE/g in bread with mix 5% (method B)) and the antioxidant activity (from 0.55 mg trolox eq/g d.m. in bread with bract flour 10% (method A) to 0.14% mg trolox eq/g d.m. in bread with mix flour) were also evaluated, showing a trend similar to the values obtained in the flours. Colorimetric tests highlighted a color more similar to wholemeal bread in the loaves produced with method B. Statistical factor analysis and cluster analysis were conducted for all trials.

The structure of the flour assortment in trade enterprises of the Moscow Region

The article analyzes the structure of the range of flour-milling industry products sold in trade enterprises in Moscow and the Moscow Region. It is shown that there is both pure flour, which makes up the largest share in the assortment, and various flour-based mixtures (“for pan-cakes”, “for baking”, “for bread”, and “for general purposes”). It has been established that currently, Russia fully provides itself with flour and flour-based mixtures and is import-independent in this matter. The main focus is still on wheat flour of the highest grade, as it traditionally has the greatest and stable demand among consumers; however, today there is a significant expansion of the range of both flour without additives and various flour-based mixtures.

Future foods protection: Supervised chemometric approaches for the determination of adulterated insects’ flours for human consumption by means of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy

In recent years, the possibility of reintroducing edible insects in the human diet in the areas where this habit had fallen in disuse has been revaluated. The reasons lie in the noticeable nutritional properties of some edible insects (generally rich in protein, vitamins, mineral elements, polyphenols and fatty acids) and their sustainable breeding which requires a moderate amount of water, and no peculiar exigencies. Consequently, insect-based snacks, insect flours, and derived products are currently spreading on the market all over the world. Although “future foods” have been a hot and debated topic in the last years, research has not kept pace with the times, and, in the literature, only a few studies on the characterization and the authentication of edible insects (and their derived products) have been published. In the light of this, the present work aims at developing a non-destructive infrared spectroscopy (IR)-based tool for detecting adulterations in insects’ flours for human consumption. Mixtures of cricket and buffalo worm flours, prepared to mimic adulterated samples, together with pure flours of the same insects, have been analysed by FT-IR spectroscopy. Eventually, classification tools for discriminating between pure and adulterated samples, i.e., Sequential Preprocessing through ORThogonalization Discriminant Analysis (SPORT-DA) and Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy (SIMCA), have been employed. Both discriminant and class-modelling approaches demonstrated to be suitable for the purpose. The highest correct classification rate on cricket flour was achieved by means of SPORT-DA, which correctly predicted 100% of test samples; whereas, the most accurate predictions on the buffalo worm flour data set were obtained using SIMCA, which allowed the erroneous classification of only three (over thirty) test objects.

Empirical rheology of wheat flour doughs with pea, soybean and whey protein isolates

The use of different protein sources in cereal products does not only aim to enrich them with proteins, but also to improve their protein quality, especially concerning the lysine content, the limiting amino acid in wheat flour. As an alternative to enrichment, protein isolates become viable because they provide protein content and quality. However, that the addition of protein sources to wheat flour greatly affects its rheological properties. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the empirical rheology of wheat flour doughs substituted by pea (PPI), soybean (SPI), and whey (WPI) protein isolates, comparing the behavior of these three sources in order to predict the best application. Of all the isolates, PPI seems to have interfered less in the rheological profile of pure flour. WPI caused major changes, while SPI remained intermediate, but closer to PPI. Concentrations of PPI and SPI up to 10% and WPI up to 5% did not greatly modify the viscoelastic profile of the dough, which would allow the use of these mixtures in the production of breads, while higher concentrations would be more suitable for the manufacture of molded biscuits, in which the formation of a protein network is not necessary.

Modification of Emulsifying Properties of Cereal Flours by Blending with Legume Flours

Background: The effect of blend formation on emulsifying activity (EA) and emulsifying stability (ES) of some commonly used cereal and legume flours, using different oils, was studied. Methods: The blends of wheat flour (WF), refined wheat flour (RWF) and maize flour (MF) were prepared by mixing with equal proportions of chickpea flour (CPF) (1:1w/w) in a kitchen blender and analyzed for EA and ES using coconut, canola, corn, rapeseed and sunflower oils. Result: Statistically significant variations (p less than 0.05) were observed in the emulsifying properties of the flours and their blends. The blending of cereal flours with CPF showed mixed responses of variation in emulsifying properties from those of the respective pure flours. The EA of the blends was found to be increased from those of the pure WF and RWF but decreased from those of the pure MF and CPF with some exceptions. However, the ES of the blends was decreased from that of the pure WF and increased from those of the pure RWF, MF and CPF. The data would be a valuable contribution to the literature regarding the improvement of functional properties of cereal foods.

Near infrared hyperspectral imaging and spectral unmixing methods for evaluation of fiber distribution in enriched pasta

Pasta is mostly composed by wheat flour and water. Nevertheless, flour can be partially replaced by fibers to provide extra nutrients in the diet. However, fiber can affect the technological quality of pasta if not properly distributed. Usually, determinations of parameters in pasta are destructive and time-consuming. The use of Near Infrared-Hyperspectral Imaging (NIR-HSI), together with machine learning methods, is valuable to improve the efficiency in the assessment of pasta quality. This work aimed to investigate the ability of NIR-HSI and augmented Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS) for the evaluation, resolution and quantification of fiber distribution in enriched pasta. Results showed R2V between 0.28 and 0.89, %LOF < 6%, variance explained over 99%, and similarity between pure and recovered spectra over 96% and 98% in models using pure flour and control as initial estimates, respectively, demonstrating the applicability of NIR-HSI and MCR-ALS in the identification of fiber in pasta.

Multi-elemental analysis of flour types and breads by using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Bread and flour are most commonly used products in human diet, which makes it susceptible to adulteration, mislabeling and addition of unpermitted amount of different flour types. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of employing laser induced breakdown spectroscopy to differentiate different flour types and quantify the white wheat flour addition to rye and oat flour and breads. In the principal component analysis, score plot represents pure flour types with 97.64% of the variance. In the calibration study, the measured coefficient of determination values was 0.989, 0.989, 0.992 and 0.991 for refined wheat flour: rye flour, refined wheat flour: oat flour, breads made with the blend of refined wheat: rye flour and the blend of refined wheat: oat flour, respectively. The limit of detection values were calculated as 3.82, 5.97, 4.59 and 4.92% for refined wheat flour: rye flour, refined wheat flour: oat flour, refined wheat: rye bread and refined wheat: oat bread, respectively.

Detection of adulterants and authenticity discrimination for coarse grain flours using NIR hyperspectral imaging

AbstractNear‐infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging combined with multivariate analyses were used to execute adulterants detection and authenticity discrimination for coarse grain flours including millet, corn, and soybean. Spectral data in the range of 865–1,711 nm were first extracted and preprocessed from a total of 1,080 samples of six categories of pure and adulterated flours. Principal component analysis was employed to generate scores scatter plots for differentiating specific grouping of samples. Successive projection algorithm (SPA) and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) were adopted to select the effective wavelengths. Then identification models were developed by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) using effective wavelengths and full spectra (FS) as inputs, respectively. The results indicated all of models provided the satisfactory identification rate, over 94.8% for adulterated flours, and even achieved 100% for pure flours. Considering computational cost reduction and model simplification, PLS‐DA‐CARS and PLS‐DA‐SPA models were more effective in practice within an acceptable range in comparison with PLS‐DA‐FS model. Especially, PLS‐DA‐SPA model could achieve higher identification accuracy than PLS‐DA‐CARS model. It can be concluded that NIR hyperspectral imaging technology as a noncontact and quick analytical method has promising application prospects for quality control of flour products.Practical ApplicationsCoarse grain flours and its products are more popular with people in recent years because they contain abundant vitamins, dietary fiber, microelements, and other nutrients. Driven by huge profits, some coarse grain flours such as millet, corn, and soybean are often sold in term of adulterated flours, which not only disrupts market order, but also results in quality degradation and great economic losses. As a noncontact and quick analytical technology, NIR hyperspectral imaging was used for detecting the adulteration of coarse grain flours to eliminate fraudulent or unfair practices. Multivariate analysis methods were employed to speed the detection process and improve operation efficiency. The results indicated that NIR hyperspectral imaging technology was feasible and effective in discriminating the authenticity of coarse grain flours, laying a foundation for designing a portable inspection device with the optical filters.

Shelf-Life of Pumpkin Fruit Slices, Flour and Blended Products

Pumpkin has high potential of generating income and overcoming food insecurity. Today’s consumer looks upon the food industry to provide healthy, attractive convenience products that remain wholesome for long. However, spoilage of horticultural produce results due to improper handling and microbial attack. Microbial spoilage is the major factor limiting shelf-life of fresh produce and processed products. It arises from improper handling and spore contamination, leading to economic loss. The objective of the present study was to determine whether shelf-life of value-added pumpkin products could be prolonged by wrapping, drying, or processing. The study used products in three experiments: (1) pumpkin fresh fruit (presented as whole, half slices or quarter slices plus or minus clear shrink wrap); (2) pure flour (dried using oven, enhanced solar, or open sun); and (3) bakery products (cake, cookies, scones, <i>mandazi</i>, bread, porridge, <i>chapatti or irio</i> blended with 0%, 5%, 20%, 50% or 90% pumpkin flour). All experiments were conducted in completely randomized design, replicated four times and repeated once. Pooled average data values were subjected to analysis of variance and significantly different means were separated using the least significantly difference test at α = 0.05. Plate Count Agar and Potato Dextrose Agar were used to determine total viable counts and fungi, respectively, on pumpkin fresh fruit, dried flour and blended products, while MacConkey Agar was used to assess enteric bacteria in dried flour and blended products. Results showed significant differences (<i>P</i><0.0001) in number of days taken for the tested samples to get spoilt. Slicing fruit drastically reduced shelf-life from 142 days to about 3 to 5 days. There were significant differences (<i>P</i><0.0001) in shelf-life of flour from the three drying methods. Enhanced solar dried flour had longest shelf-life of 11.5 months. Bacilli were the dominant bacteria in fresh fruit slices, while flour had bacilli and cocci, which were also dominant in blended products. Significant difference (<i>P</i><0.0001) occurred in moisture content of cake, <i>mandazi</i> and scones with various flour-blending levels. Cookies had the longest shelf-life of 64 days, while <i>irio</i>, <i>chapatti</i> and porridge got spoilt after two days. Significant differences occurred in microbial counts of the various flour-blended products throughout the storage periods. Baked products with up to 20% pumpkin flour-blend had great potential of remaining wholesome for longest storage period and hence are recommended for adoption.

INFLUENCE OF COCONUT SHELL ADDITION ON PHYSICO-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF WOOD PLASTIC COMPOSITES1

ABSTRACT In this study, composites with three types of thermoplastic matrix and cellulosic material in a proportion of 40% were produced. The three thermoplastic matrices were high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP) and low density polyethylene (LDPE), and the cellulosic materials were pure wood flour (Pinus taeda L) or a mixture of wood flour and coconut shell flour (Cocus nucifera L) in equal ratios. The objective was to evaluate the influence of addition of coconut shell on the physico-mechanical properties (density, strength and rigidity) and the distribution of the cellulosic material in the thermoplastic matrix of the manufactured composites. It was found that the composites had a satisfactory distribution of wood flour in thermoplastic matrices, but the addition of coconut shell promoted bubble formation in the resulting pieces and, thus, interfered with the material properties. The use of a coupling agent promoted interfacial adhesion (cellulose - thermoplastic matrix), which was better in high density polyethylene composites, followed by polypropylene and low density polyethylene. In general, the coconut shell addition caused a decrease of all properties compared to composites made with Loblolly Pine. In addition, the interactions between thermoplastic type and cellulosic matrix type have been statistically confirmed, which caused variations in the studied properties

Dynamics of technological and baking qualities of winter rye grain depending on flour yield and water extract viscosity

Dynamics of technological and baking qualities of winter rye grain were studied depending on flour yield and water extract viscosity (WEV). Initial material consisted in six populations of winter rye obtained after ten cycles of divergent selection for WEV, which was carried out on the basis of cultivars Al’fa and Moskovskaya 12. For each cultivar, three populations contrastingly differing for WEV were identified: low viscosity ones (LV) obtained in minus selection, mean viscosity ones (MV) obtained on the basis of the original populations without selection, and high viscosity (HV) ones obtained in plus selection. For each population, three grades of flour were obtained: wholemeal flour (100% yield), medium flour (87% yield), and pure flour (63% yield). Comparative testing was carried out in 2015 and 2016: in a field experiment on 8-m2 plots in three repetitions. The following traits were studied: weight of 1000 grains, nature of grain, glassiness, protein and starch contents, flour whiteness, falling number, amylogram height, starch gelatinization temperature, H/D ratio, bread volume, and crumb porosity. A prominent feature of LV-populations is the trend towards small grains, low grain nature, and lowered starch contents. For most traits, HV-populations were at the level of MV-populations. It was concluded that, during production of pure rye flour, almost all pentosans together with bran are removed from external layers of caryopsis. As a result, the share of pentosans within endosperm essentially increases. These pentosans belong to the water-soluble fraction, which is proven to be true by a sharp increase in WEV in pure rye flour in comparison with wholemeal flour. An increase in WEV in the grades of thin grinding flour occurs due to water-soluble pentosans, which are contained in bran, in deep layers of endosperm. As compared to rough grinding flour (wholemeal flour), thin grinding flour (pure flour) differed by higher whiteness (by 46.6 units), better amylogram (by 46 a. units), higher H/D ratio (by 0.04), volumetric yield (by 38 cm3), and porosity of crumb of a square loaf (by 9.9%). WEV also had significant influence, which, at high expression, positively affected flour whiteness, falling number, amylogram height, starch gelatinization temperature, and shape stability of toppling bread.

Minimum Ignition Temperature of layer and cloud dust mixtures

The prevention of dust explosions is still a challenge for the process industry. Ignition, in particular, is a phenomenon that is still not completely understood. As a consequence, safety conditions pertaining to ignition suppression are rarely identified to an adequate level. It is well known that, in general, the ignition attitude of a dust depends on several factors, such as the nature of the chemical, the particle size, moisture content, etc., but there is still a lack of knowledge on the effect of the single variables.This paper has the aim of providing data on the Minimum Ignition Temperatures of dust mixtures obtained from a mixing of a combustible dust (flour, lactose, sucrose, sulphur) and an inert dust (limestone, extinguishing powders) as well as from the mixing of two different combustible dusts. Various mixtures with different weight ratios have been tested in a Godbert Greenwald (GG) furnace and on a hot plate in order to measure the effect of mixture composition on the Minimum Ignition Temperature (MITL) of the layer and on the Minimum Ignition Temperature (MITC) of the cloud. In order to further verify the effects of inert dust particle size, inerts sieved to different size ranges have been tested separately. Generally, both MITL and MITC increase as the inert content is increased. MITC is poorly affected by inert particle size when limestone is used. The MITL of pure flour is higher than the MITL of mixtures containing up to 40% of 32–75 μm of limestone. This was probably due to the behaviour of pure flour during the test, which demonstrated strong tendency to produce char, cracks in the layer and detachment from the hot plate.

Investigation on hydrophobic modification of bamboo flour surface by means of atom transfer radical polymerization method

To convert the hydrophilic surface of bamboo flour into a hydrophobic surface, methyl methacrylate (MMA) was grafted onto bamboo flour surface by means of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. The grafted bamboo flour was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water contact angle and thermogravimetric analysis. The results from FTIR and SEM have confirmed that MMA groups have been successfully grafted onto bamboo surface by means of the ATRP method, which caused the water contact angle increase to be 128.7°, i.e., hydrophilic bamboo flour turned into hydrophobicity. However, the thermal stability of grafted bamboo flour decreased compared with pure bamboo flour.

Flow Measurement of Biomass and Blended Biomass Fuels in Pneumatic Conveying Pipelines Using Electrostatic Sensor-Arrays

Key parameters such as particle velocity, concentration of solid particles, and stability of pulverized fuel flow in fuel injection pipelines are useful to power plant operators to detect fuel supply problems at an early stage. This paper presents the use of a novel multichannel instrumentation system with circular and arc-shaped electrostatic sensor arrays for the online continuous measurement of “mean” and “local” characteristics of blended biomass flow. Experimental tests were conducted on a pneumatic conveying test rig under various flow conditions on both horizontal and vertical pipes. The biomass fuels tested include willow, wood, and bark. A ground grain (flour) was used to replicate a biomass of finer particles. The results suggest that, due to the physical differences between the constituent biomass fuels, the characteristics of the flow depend on the proportion of larger biomass particles in the blend. It is found that pure flour particles travel faster and carry more electrostatic charge than those of larger biomass particles. As more biomass particles are added to the flow, the overall velocity of the flow slows down, the electrostatic charge level decreases, and the flow becomes less stable compared to the pure flour flow. Particles in the vertical pipe are found to be more evenly distributed, and the particle velocity profile across the pipe cross section is more regular when compared to those in the horizontal pipe.

Pure flour in your bag: Governmental rationalities of camera surveillance in Sweden

Surveillance is an important governance technique of modern societies and is linked to particular governmental rationalities. This article examines the Swedish policy on camera surveillance, using the analytical framework of governmentality , the art of government, in advanced liberal societies as its theoretical framework. The focus is on three features that charactefise current developments in the Swedish policy. These are labelled situational prevention, generalisation of distrust and the significance of the informed citizen. The study shows how prevention, i.e. situational prevention, was successfully introduced as a main rationale for monitoring only after the technology had been in place for some years. Monitoring as a form of general situational prevention, the congruent generalised distrust that affects the public and the Swedish requirement to inform citizens about cameras are viewed as elements of a governmental rationality based on the notion of the autonomous, free and self-responsible subject. Accordingly, the popular idea that camera surveillance is an indicator of an expanding security state must be modified.

Pure flour in your bag

Surveillance is an important governance technique of modern societies and is linked to particular governmental rationalities. This article examines the Swedish policy on camera surveillance, using ...

Mixtures of Two Argentinean Wheat Cultivars of Different Quality: A Study on Breadmaking Performance

ABSTRACTCommercial Argentinean wheat flours are commonly composed of at least two wheat cultivars to obtain products of constant quality. Flours from two different wheats (Buck Pronto [BP] and Klein Escudo [KE]) with different protein profiles and breadmaking performance were assayed. Glu‐1 alleles are expressed in BP with 2, 7+8, 5+10 HMW glutenins subunits, while in KE 2, 7+9, 5+10 HMW glutenins subunits are present. Different sample blends (BP and KE) of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 were analyzed to relate composition of blends to the characteristics of dough and breads obtained from them. Physicochemical assays, alveograms, farinograms, and the SDS sedimentation test (SDSS test) were applied to characterize pure flours and blends. Rheological behavior of dough was studied by texture profile analysis (TPA) and dynamic assays. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze dough microstructure. Alveographic W and farinographic stability values of blends with ≤50% KE were higher than expected. The same behavior was observed in SDSS‐test values, hardness (TPA), and rheometric assays. These results indicate that the performance of a cultivar like BP, rendering strong flours, would not be affected when a less strong flour is incorporated up to a certain proportion. However, bread quality of BP was superior to that of KE and BP‐KE blends. The decrease in bread quality was particularly evident in the increase in the shape ratio (W/H). Correlations could be established among some textural parameters of dough (hardness and elasticity) and certain quality attributes of bread (crumb and crust hardness).

Effect of different ratios of wheat to corn flour in the diet on the development and isotopic composition (δ13C, δ15N) of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum

The back-calculation of the diet is a common application of stable isotopes in animal ecology. The method is based on a predictable relation between the isotopic signature of the diet and the animal’s tissues. Frequently, the assumption of a constant difference in isotopic signatures (trophic shift) is made. Carbon isotopic ratios of C3 and C4 plants differ by approximately 10 ‰, making wheat (C3-plant) and corn (C4-plant) ideal materials for isotopic studies in nutritional ecology and especially for testing the back-calculation method. In this experiment, red flour beetles, Tribolium castaneum, were reared on wheat flour, corn flour and three different mixtures thereof, either in pure flour or with the addition of yeast inoculum or yeast grains. Development of T. castaneum on these experimental diets was monitored, and isotopic signatures of carbon and nitrogen in emerging adults were analysed. The values of trophic shift of C and N isotopes for wheat and corn flour were different, and the values for the mixtures did not correspond to those expected from a linear mixing model. The latter can be taken as an indication that the tiny larvae of T. castaneum may be capable of differentiating between particles of wheat and corn flour, making this animal model unsuitable for testing the back-calculation method.

Occupational Asthma Due to Grain Pests Eurygaster and Ephestia

Background: Workers occupationally exposed to grain dust have a high prevalence of asthma. The pathogenesis of their respiratory symptoms remains obscure when sensitization to cereal allergens has not been proved. Given the ubiquity of arthropods in stored vegetable products, we have studied the allergenic potential of two very prevalent grain pests, Eurygaster and Ephestia, as a cause of occupational asthma. We have also studied the allergenic relationship between Anisakis simplex (AS)and these pests. Methods: We selected 15 asthmatic workers exposed to cereal dust, in whom sensitization to cereal allergens was not clear. As controls, we selected a patient who suffered from anaphylaxis after the ingestion of cereals, 6 patients sensitized to different arthropods, 1 patient who suffered from asthma after inhaling fish flour contaminated with AS, and a pool of 40 asthmatic patients with different ethiologies not due to arthropods or cereals. We performed prick tests with these pests, AS, and pure and parasitized flours, bronchial challenges, specific IgE determination, and RAST inhibition. Results: All of the 15 cereal‐exposed workers were sensitized to Eurygaster and Ephestia. Only 2 had detectable levels of serum IgE to these pests, but 13 presented a positive prick test result and IgE to AS without problems after eating fish. Bronchial challenges were positive to Eurygaster in 7 patients and to Ephestia in 2 patients. Twelve patients had positive prick tests to parasitized flour but not to pure flour. The patient with cereal anaplylaxis presented sensitization to both flours but not to AS. In the control group, the patient who suffered from asthma after the inhalation of AS‐parasitized fish flour presented a positive prick test result and high levels of specific IgE to these pests. The RAST inhibition showed cross‐reactivity between Eurygaster and AS in this patient, but the inhibition was not as evident with the sera of other workers. The same tests in the group of 40 asthmatic patients were negative. Conclusions: The clinical importance of pests as a cause of baker's asthma should not be underestimated. Sensitization to Eurygaster and Ephestia could be important in the asthma episodes suffered by our patients, and the parasitized wheat was found to have a higher allergenic potential than pure cereal flour.