Understanding how grain quality affects end-products
- By: "Farm Tender" News
- Cattle News
- Jul 03, 2018
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AEGIC’s Pilot Mill in Sydney is at the centre of efforts to increase awareness of the importance of wheat and flour quality for bread and noodles in Asia.
AEGIC General Manager Research and Technical Services Dr Ken Quail said understanding how grain quality affects end-products was crucial for Australia to effectively meet customer needs in key Asian markets.
“This applies to everyone in the wheat industry – especially grain traders, food manufacturers, wheat breeders and flour millers,” he said.
“Australian wheat is valued for a wide range of products both internationally and domestically, especially Asian noodles and baked products.
“By providing education on the unique quality attributes of our wheat and how these attributes result in products that consumers want to eat, AEGIC is helping the Australian industry to deliver the best possible product to customers, thus improving the long-term value of Australian wheat.”
A recent education session at AEGIC’s commercial-scale Pilot Mill in Sydney was attended by senior grain traders, wheat breeders, food manufacturers and flour millers from around Australia.
Over two days, the participants – many of whom already had long experience in the Australian wheat industry – increased their understanding of how differences in wheat quality affect the flour milling process and how this relates to noodle and bread quality.
Dr Quail said having access to AEGIC’s four-story flour mill was extremely valuable for attendees, providing the opportunity for “hands on” learning.
“The training also includes practical baking and noodle making sessions, and lectures on wheat varieties, quality testing, and export markets” he said.
Darryl Borlase, Senior Trading Manager with ADM Trading Australia, said the training helped him understand the wheat milling process.
“In my current role as a wheat trader and Wheat Quality Australia council member, the course has provided me with a better understanding of the types of flour produced and the technical aspects of quality measurement,” he said.
“The course also provided excellent information on end-product use and what Australian wheat is used for in our export markets. I have no hesitation in recommending the course to anybody who has dialogue or interaction with customers that are using Australian wheat.”
Sam Napier, Senior Wheat Trader with Cargill Australia, said the AEGIC Pilot Mill was “very valuable”.
“The course gave me a greater understanding of the end-customer, and also specific requirements between customer segments,” he said. “I would recommend that all members of the Australian grain supply chain attend this course.”
Matthew Platt, Sales Manager – Trade with Laucke Flour Mills, said the course was very useful for those who work in the industry but do not have a background in milling.
“The AEGIC course was a great aid for both myself and my colleague who attended from Laucke Flour Mills. The mill tour was great for us and the opportunity to follow the flow of the mill and visualise and touch the different flour streams produced was great to reinforce what we had already been able to learn within our own business. The course had a good balance of both theory and practical finishing off day 2 with both Noodle and Bread making which was enjoyed by all.”
Arnotts R&D New Technologies Scientist Sarah Herbert said the course was interesting and informative to her and her four colleagues who attended.
“We certainly benefitted and improved our knowledge base by attending the course and would recommend it to anyone who needs a good grounding and more understanding about wheat and flour milling,” she said.
Hannah Foster, Wheat Technician Lead with breeding company Intergrain, said the training was of “immense value”.
Dr Quail said AEGIC’s training strengthened industry capacity and established strong linkages between AEGIC and industry partners.
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