Gumenyuk G.D., Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Head of Quality and Product Standardization Laboratory, Kyiv Institute of Bread Products
Until last year, wheat grain was regulated by GOST 9353-90 "Wheat. Requirements for procurement and supply", in which wheat was divided into premium and 1-4 classes (referring to wheat with classified gluten - Ed.), gluten content was regulated from 36% to 18% depending on the grain class.
Despite the fact that domestic breeders have developed many wheat varieties capable of ensuring high grain quality, grain of lower quality is still being grown.
According to the State Bread Inspection, over the past 8 years (1991-1997), wheat with low gluten content was supplied to grain receiving and processing enterprises:
- 32% and more - 0.1%
- 28-32% - 2.9%
- 23-27% - 57.5%
- 18-22% - 26.2%
- less than 18% - 8.6%
Considering this, DSTU 3768-98 "Wheat. Technical conditions" was developed, in which quality requirements for wheat by gluten quantity had to be somewhat reduced and established for soft wheat:
| Wheat Class | Gluten Content |
|---|---|
| Class 1 | 30% |
| Class 2 | 27% |
| Class 3 | 23% |
| Classes 4 & 5 | 18% |
And in GOST 26574-85 for bread-making flour, gluten content should be:
| Flour Type | Gluten Content |
|---|---|
| Granulated flour | 30% |
| Premium grade | 28% |
| 1st grade | 30% |
| 2nd grade | 25% |
| Whole wheat | 20% |
However, in 1998, wheat with an average gluten content of 22.2% was supplied to procurement enterprises. And in 1999, considering weather and other unfavorable conditions, even worse quality in terms of gluten content - an average of 20%. From the main mass of procured wheat (up to 93%), flour with gluten content of 18...25% will be produced.
Considering the actual grain quality, it is practically impossible to produce flour in accordance with GOST 26574-85 requirements. Therefore, Ukrainian flour mills have to produce it with deviation from the standard requirements for gluten content indicator.
New Standard HSTU 46.004-99
To enable mills to work normally and not pay fines for deviations from standard requirements, it became necessary to develop a flour standard in which quality requirements would be objective.
For this purpose, the industry standard - HSTU 46.004-99 "Wheat flour" was developed, which was implemented from 08/15/1999. Quality requirements in HSTU for all indicators correspond to those that were in GOST 26574-85, except for gluten content, which is established:
| Flour Type | Gluten Content | Gluten Quality | Falling Number | Whiteness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium grade | 24% | not lower than group II | ≥160s | ≥54 units |
| 1st grade | 25% | not lower than group II | ≥160s | 36-53 units |
| 2nd grade | 21% | not lower than group II | ≥160s | 12-35 units |
| Whole wheat | 18% | not lower than group II | ≥105s | - |
Important note: The standard provides that in premium grade flour that will be used for pasta production, gluten content should be at least 25%.
Baking enterprises, using such flour and improving bread baking technology, will ensure its quality without deviations from bread standards requirements.
Additional Requirements and Innovations
HSTU also introduced safety and environmental protection indicators. Enterprises must not exceed the content of toxic elements permitted by the Ministry of Health, and also ensure control over emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere and soil protection from pollution.
With the introduction of this standard, the validity of GOST 26574-85 "Wheat bread-making flour" on the territory of Ukraine is canceled, but its effect on flour that will be used for pasta production is retained.
Technical support: HSTU regulates the mandatory determination of the falling number indicator, from 07/01/2000. Previously, this created a problem because there were no domestic devices, and imported ones were expensive. At this stage, there is already a domestic device for determining this indicator - PChP-99.