The conditioning of wheat. The influence of conditioning temperature on flour yield,moisture content and colour

Two UK wheats of similar protein content but differing in hardness have been conditioned at temperatures of 4, 10.5, 19 and 28°C to a moisture content of 15.5%, using lying times in the range 2 to 24h. The milling performance of the wheats has been assessed in terms of flour yield, moisture content and grade colour figure (GCF). Flour yield was expressed as straight-run milling yield (SR) and also as total yield (TE) which included flour from the impact finishing of by-products. The use of a conditioning temperature of 28°C increased TE and SR for the hard wheat and TE for the soft wheat, but decreased SR for the latter. Both types showed a reduction in flour yield when a lying time of 2h was employed. The use of temperatures above or below 19°C led to improved GCF results. The combination of low temperatures and short lying times brought about reductions in flour moisture content but these reductions were shown to be only partially responsible for the accompanying decreases in flour yield.