Digital Re-print - July | August 2010

Added value by Flour Heat Treatment

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Added value by
Flour Heat Treatment by Urs Schwendener, Process Engineer, Bühler AG, Uzwil, Switzerland
The Flour Heat Treatment (FHT) process provides modified grain-based milling products
with specific characteristics for a wide range of applications in the food industry. Heat-
treated flours are opening up new market segments for the grain milling industry
T
he physical and chemical
properties of flour depends
on the original grain quality.
However, the grinding process allows
the baking characteristics to be
controlled to a certain extent.
Thermal and hydrothermal treatment
modifies flours in such a manner that they
can be applied not only for baking, but also
in numerous other areas of food processing.
Thermally-treated flours are a response to
the issues of recipe optimisation, enhance-
ment of convenience and product safety,
which are omnipresent in today’s food
processing industry.
22 | July - august 2010
In addition, such flours do not have to
be declared.
Flour Heat Treatment (FHT) allows the
physical, rheological, microbiological, enzy-
matic and chemical flour properties to be
selectively modified.
During thermal treatment, the flours are
exposed to the action of heat in order to
strengthen the gluten and to reduce the
water content. The purpose of hydrothermal
treatment is to partially gelatinise the starch
and to inactivate enzymes and microorgan-
isms.
A very wide range of applications exist
for such thermally and hydrothermally modi-
fied flours. Generally speaking, they can be
Heat Treatment Feature
divided into the following groups: bakery
products, binders, coatings, and carriers:
Bakery products
Thermally-treated flours with a strength-
ened gluten structure are used for making
high-ratio cakes, where high proportions of
sugar and fat are applied.
To obtain a long shelf life of fresh doughs,
raw materials are required which have a low
level of microbiological contamination. The
heat treatment hygienizes the flour by inacti-
vating a large portion of the microorganisms.
The high temperature denatures part of the
enzymes, making them incapable of reaction.
This also has a positive effect on the shelf life.
Certain proportions of FHT flour may
Grain &feed millinG technoloGy
Feature Heat Treatment
increase the water absorption capacity of the
bread dough.
Binders
The hot viscosity of flour can be selective-
ly increased by the FHT process. Such flours
are used as thickeners in soups and sauces.
The action of the heat dries the flour.
Flours used in instant soups must have a low
water content to prevent them from releas-
ing moisture to the other ingredients.
Microorganisms and enzymes are inacti-
vated by the process heat. This increases the
shelf life of the products.
Hydrothermally modified flours with an
increased cold viscosity and water absorp-
tion capacity can be applied for making
sausages or instant desserts.
Coatings
Hydrothermally-treated flour is excellent-
ly suited as a batter (liquid dough) for coating
fish, meat, and vegetables with breading.
The optimised cold viscosity allows wet
panadas to be uniformly applied to the
product virtually without dripping. Such bat-
Grain &feed millinG technoloGy
ters serve as binders between the meat or
fish and the dry panada. Their purpose is to
ensure that the bread crumbs will adhere
permanently to the meat. It is not allowed to
rupture or blister, even when deep-frozen
or deep-fried.
The higher the cold viscosity, the thicker
the wet panada coating that can be applied.
Carriers
Untreated flours are hardly ever used
as carriers for flavorings, spices, or enzymes
because the flour component substances
might affect the actual product.
FHT flours, on the other hand, can be
applied as carriers. The reactivity of their lise bran and germ (for example of wheat).
component substances is minimised, for the This extends the shelf life to a significant
gluten has been denatured and the enzy- extent. The thermal action largely inactivates
matic activity and the microorganism count the enzymes, which appreciably slows down
have been reduced. The water content of the rancidity process.
such carriers must be low to ensure that no In addition, microbially induced spoilage is
water will diffuse from the carrier into the reduced because a large part of the micro-
actual product. organisms has been inactivated by the heat.
Stabilized bran and germ are characterised
Other applications by their nut-like taste. They can be used in
In the FHT process, it is possible to stabi- bread, breakfast cereals, cereal bars, etc.
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(drying maize using our continuous cooling column)
● gentle drying process
● uniform drying temperatures reducing
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● minimized discharge of fines (canola, flax)
Contact us. We would like to discuss our dryer
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Telephone: +49 8461 701-0, Fax: +49 8461 701-133
info@schmidt-seeger.com, www.schmidt-seeger.com
PREVIOUS PAGE NEXT PAGE July - august 2010 | 23

A new field of application is the stabiliza-
tion of rice polishings as a preliminary stage
to subsequent oil extraction from rice hulls.
Flour heat treatment process
Thermally and hydrothermally treated
flours can be produced on the same
system when the Buhler FHT process is
used. A loss in weight dosing scale sup-
plies the system with a constant, defined
24 | July - august 2010
stream of product flowing at a rate up
to 2500kg/h.
In a conditioner, steam and – depend-
ing on the type of treatment – water are
injected into the flour. Then the flour is
transferred to the retention screws, where
the actual “cooking process” takes place.
Thermopneumatic conveying systems dry
the moist product to the required water
content. Agglomerated product is removed
by sifting, reduced to a defined
particle size, and returned to
the flour. After the end product
has passed through the metal
detector, it is conveyed to the
finished-product bins, from
where it is bagged or loaded
out in bulk into trucks.
The most important process
parameters are the through-
put rate, the steam and water
quantity, the temperature, the
retention (dwell) time, and the
drying temperatures. These
parameters are permanently
controlled and monitored by a
PLC control system. They are
visualised and recorded online,
enabling the entire process to
be carefully logged.
FHT process versus
extrusion
Frequently, the question aris-
es as to the difference between
the FHT process and extru-
sion. The two processes do not
compete with each other.
Unlike extrusion, where the
flours are exposed to the very
powerful action of heat, mois-
ture and mechanical forces, the
flour in the FHT process is
treated only hydrothermally or
thermally.
Hydrothermal treatment
allows a low to medium starch
gelatinisation degree to be
Heat Treatment Feature
Back in 1900, a Swiss man invented muesli. Our passion for the finest flakes and
grains has just as long a tradition. Buhler has mastered the entire process from
obtained. With in a medium degree of
the kernel to the flake, and from oats, millet, barley, and spelt to corn and soy. Talk to
gelatinisation, the FHT and extrusion proc- us – we’ve developed equipment and methods that are highly effective at every
esses overlap to some extent. The extrusion
process allows a starch gelatinization degree stage of the process, with high yields, unparalleled cleanliness and outstanding
up to 100 percent to be achieved.
Flours that are subjected solely to thermal product quality. We owe all this to the inventor of the breakfast cereal. And to muesli
treatment will to some degree retain their
baking properties and therefore differ funda- lovers all over the planet.
mentally from extruded flours.
FHT is the optimal process for modifying
flours on a customer-specific basis. Such
flours open up a wide range of applications
in the most diverse fields of the food produc-
tion industry. Bühler AG, Grain Milling, CH-9240 Uzwil, Switzerland, T +41 71 955 11 11, F +41 71 955 66 11
Buhler is a global leader in the supply milling@buhlergroup.com, www.buhlergroup.com
of process engineering solutions, especially
technologies for grain processing plants and
nutrition solutions. Buhler is present in over
140 countries and has some 6600 employ-
ees worldwide.
More inforMation:
Urs Schwendener
Process Engineer
Bühler AG
Uzwil
Switzerland
Tel: +41 71 9552259
Email: urs.schwendener@buhlergroup.com
Website: www.buhlergroup.com
Related companies
Cimbria A/S
Faartoftvej 22 PO Box 40
Thisted, DK-7700 DK
Tel: +45 96 17 90 22
Fax: +45 96 17 90 19
Email: jyn@cimbria.com
Website: www.cimbria.com
John Staniar & Co.
34 Stanley Road Whitefield
Manchester, M45 8QX GB
Tel: +44 161 767 1500
Fax: +44 161 767 1502
Email: sales@johnstaniar.co.uk
The solution behind the solution.
Website: www.johnstaniar.co.uk
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