A small-scale milling technique for establishment of flour yield of wheat

Abstract

The Brabender Quadrumat Junior mill was investigated as a possible means of estimating the flour yield of small samples of wheat. When very hard, hard and soft wheats were milled at a constant moisture content (whether equilibrium or a higher, conditioned moisture content) on the Quadrumat Junior mill, the flour yields did not correlate with those from a Buhler experimental mill, because the hard and very hard varieties were over-estimated. A satisfactory relationship was obtained by milling the hard wheats at a moisture content one per cent higher than the soft wheats, and the very hard wheats two per cent higher than the soft wheats. All wheats could then be compared on a common basis. When seven soft wheat samples were milled on the Quadrumat Junior and six large experimental mills, the Quadrumat Junior estimated the flour yields as accurately as any of the large mills. This method appears to be suitable for selection in a wheat breeding programme to improve milling yield. Samples as small as 5 g can be used