Wheat varieties - A flour miller's perspective

David Hogan

Laucke Flour Mills.

Keywords: wheat quality, flour characteristics, value-adding

Take home messages

• There are marketing opportunities for wheat crops under irrigation that are currently not being realised
• A closer relationship between irrigation farmers and millers is required to optimise these market opportunities.

Introduction

There is currently an information gap in the grain supply chain that is potentially limiting market opportunities for irrigation wheat growers.

There is a grains food value chain that starts with pre-breeding; and continues through breeding; seed propagation; growing; storage, handling and transport; marketing and trading; multiple levels of processing and distribution; and finally ends with the consumer. Ideally, for the supply chain to remain sustainable, each stage must meet the requirements of their immediate “customer” and contribute to the aspirations of the consumer - especially with regard to performance and price. To remain viable, each link in the chain must both add value within their own sphere of operation, and provide value to ensuing links

In the past, there has been insufficient focus on what may provide value to customers and consumers.

Australian Domestic Flour Mills currently consume circa 3 M Tonne of wheat per annum. This quantity is primarily drawn from the NSW, Vic, Qld, and SA wheat growing regions. The traditional end product break down is approximately 42% bread bakers, 3% pastry, 4% biscuit, 5% packeted flour, 5% pasta, 15% food manufacture and 26% industrial.
However, due to the growing cultural diversity of Australia, and a rapidly growing appreciation of specialist wheat based products in Asia,  there is a growing requirement for specialist grains and flours for applications such as artisan bread, flat breads, specialist noodles and an extensive range of specialist ethnic breads and pastries that have not traditionally been produced.

Pre-breeders and breeding organisations, during the development and selection process  base their programs on agronomic characteristics of a variety (yield, disease resistance, etc.) and obtain feed back from millers and other processors with regard to end product use. Their target is to produce an agronomically sound variety that will provide improved yield for the grower, while having desirable processing and end product quality traits that the end user will seek, and thereby create a market demand for the variety.

Notably in Australia, most variety selections are based on dry land growing conditions. There is minimal breeding specifically targeting irrigation specific varieties in the current Australian breeding programs.

Growers necessarily target sustainable land use and optimised return on investment. With deregulation of the wheat market there are now more marketing options available than previously.

In dry land cropping the harvest result (yield and quality) is largely determined by variety genetics and the conditions during plant development and harvest (G X E), and moisture availability is a major limiting factor.

In irrigated wheat crops the harvest result is determined by variety genetics, environment and management strategy (water and fertiliser management) ie (G x E X M). Therefore through irrigation/management strategies, the grower has the potential to manipulate yield and performance characteristics of the harvested wheat crop. Irrigation also provides a level of assurance there will be a harvest. The expected characteristics of an irrigated wheat will be a high crop yield (6 – 10 T/Ha), low protein, soft grain (large starch granules in the grain), and generally the crop will not have been moisture stressed during the growing season. Because the crop is grown in moist conditions there is the inherent risk of rust and fungal disease, and that there are additional inputs (water and management strategies) required. With the exception of biscuit wheats (which are marketed into a specific end use) all other irrigated wheats are typically sold into the commodity market in accordance with GTA standards.  

Millers start with an end product requirement, and through the use of a series of testing equipment, identify the critical characteristics of the flour that will deliver the desired end product. The flour is then achieved through a combination of wheat type and milling technique. A general “rule of thumb” is that low protein soft wheats suit cake and biscuit applications; medium protein hard wheats suit noodle and chapattis applications; and medium to high protein hard wheats suit a range of bread applications. But because the consumer markets are becoming more diverse; wheat outside of these traditional characteristics are now being utilised in specialist applications.

The critical characteristics of a flour to suit a biscuit or cake application are low protein, low water absorption (large starch granules), and weak dough. The varieties that best suit these characteristics are Yenda^A, Bowie and Wyuna. Rosella (under irrigated conditions) can also be suitable. Grower management practices to achieve maximum yield is required. With regard to grower return, these varieties could attract an average premium of $50 (ranging from $10 - $80 depending on season) above APW wheat price.

The critical characteristics of a plain flour or instant noodle flour are moderate protein, moderate strength, and high water absorption. These characteristics are generally achieved through “commodity” varieties in the APW and AH grades. Grower management practice to balance yield and protein are required. Grower return for this grade of wheat would expect to be based on commodity market price.

The characteristics for a flour to suit bread applications are moderate to high protein, high water absorption and moderate to high dough strength. These are characteristics typically achieved through dry land cropping conditions. However, through variety selection and management strategy there should be opportunity to target high protein balanced dough with a moisture controlled environment. Varieties that could suit this application are Wallup^A, Chara^A, Gregory^A and Drysdale^A. Premiums applicable to AH and APH could be expected for these crops. There has been very little end product testing that has occurred on these varieties when grown under various irrigation strategies. Currently they are sold into the trade as commodity wheat, in accordance with the relevant GTA standard.

Irrigated wheats to suit flours for specialist applications such as various artisan breads, specialist noodles and pastry can potentially be achieved by using wheats under a selected irrigation strategy – to balance protein and dough/starch properties to suit the particular end product application. This would involve close interaction between the grower and miller. The potential for increase market demand for this type of product is both unknown and unlimited.

The ‘assurance' of supply and ability to manipulate wheat quality and quantity (and it’s subsequent flour characteristics) provide irrigation growers with a unique opportunity to add value by ensuring initially reliable supply of targeted quality to the domestic market as part of a development phase. It is expected this development phase would involve close interaction between the grower and the processor (miller) so as to ensure flour processor satisfaction and then satisfy the end product expectations of the consumer. Once the local market has found value, it would be assumed that export markets would then also find similar value.

Contact details

David Hogan

Laucke Flour Mills, Mill Road, Bridgewater, Vic., 3516
03 5431 5204; 0419 815 284

labbwr@laucke.com.au