Whichever part of the supply chain you operate, food quality control is one of the most important facets for the financial success and long-term reputation of your business.

Savvy business owners want quantifiable evidence of the quality of their product in real time, not only to satisfy legal requirements but also meaning adjustments can be made efficiently when needed and competitive advantage can be maintained.

What is flour made of?

First, how is flour made?

Wheat and other grains are processed to produce flour. There are ‘three components of a wheat seed; the white endosperm, the outer bran layers, and the wheat germ.’

The way wheat (or other grain) is processed to become flour is called milling.

How much each of these three components of the grain are retained in the flour is important both for quality control and classification of the flour, such as white flour, brown flour, or wholemeal flour.

How is flour milled in the UK?

Today most flour in the UK is milled in flour mills with precise machinery aimed at ensuring consistent food quality control.

Successful mills are concerned with optimising quality control in manufacturing, and many flour mills use a quality analyser such as C-Cell to test bake their daily production, ensuring they’re compliant both with industry regulations and baker expectations.

The importance of quality control in flour milling

Why is quality control so important in flour milling?

Considering the end use of flour is for human consumption, it’s highly regulated to ensure quality control in the food industry.

While the baked goods we consume may be considered artisan, the flour used in them is a biological material subject to variations that can affect both the safety and performance of the baked goods.

As a result, food quality control in flour milling is a legislative requirement and part of cereal science.

Food quality control in flour milling is imperative for consistency in the taste and quality of the product, and for the profit and reputation of each provider along the supply chain.

That includes the grain producer, miller, baker, and retailer. Food quality control in manufacturing in flour milling is crucial and can easily be monitored and ensured by a baked quality analyser.

What is the purpose of quality control flour tests?

As already illustrated, quality control in the food industry is fundamental to customer satisfaction and success along the supply chain.

Quality control flour tests are an efficient way to obtain objective and quantifiable information on key features of the raw materials, and how they interact in manufacturing processes.

Traditionally, millers and bakers needed to rely on subjective sensory cues to determine quality control in the food industry.

With baking quality analysers such as C-Cell Colour, millers can now get objective data after each mill process to ensure the flour meets expected standards on a range of parameters.

If the quality is lacking, it can be assessed immediately and addressed in an efficient manner without undue loss of product, profit, and reputation at any point in the supply chain.

What factors affect flour quality?

As a biological material, flour can be affected by a range of factors including:

Moisture content
Particle size
Ash content (which can indicate bran contaminant)
Germination
Protein degradation (which may indicate cereal bug infestation)

There are industry standards dictating acceptable levels on these parameters, and the discerning food manufacturer will be looking to optimise quality control in manufacturing to ensure a superior product and a competitive edge.

How is quality control implemented?

Food quality control begins with reliable and objective data at a raw material level and the way those materials respond in manufacturing processes to produce a quality food product.

The baking analyser C-Cell Colour uses a three-step process whereby the analyser takes an image of the product, which is analysed across a range of parameters and then quantified.

The data is quickly available, and feedback can be given to the grain supplier on the quality of their grain, which is valuable in terms of research and development ensuring quality control in the food industry.

Likewise, to the miller in terms of their manufacturing systems and processes, and the baker regarding any inclusions and cooking processes they observe.

How can C-Cell assist in flour quality control?

Calibre Control’s C-Cell Colour is an advanced technological baking analyser providing quality control solutions for your industry in a user friendly, efficient, and reliable tool.

How is flour manufactured in the UK