FLOUR BLENDING BASED ON CRUDE FAT IS MORE CRUCIAL THAN ASH CONTENT IN VIEW OF PROLONGED QUALITY ASSURRANCE.

Conventionally, the ash content has been a quality control index for flour grading and blending. However, commercially, such a criteria is often found unreliable. In the present study, no significant correlation between the ash- and crude fat contents was found. Conversely, significant correlation was identified between the lipoxygenase activity and the crude fat. Furthermore, from the confirmatory experiment using the standardized synthetic formula, significant relationships were found among the crude fat content, the lipid peroxidative enzymes including the lipoxygenase, hydroperoxide lyase and peroxidase, which apparently could account for the progress of flour off-odor. In contrast, only poor correlation was found with the ash content. In addition, the sensory evaluation in parallel also supported such a result. Conclusively, the crude fat content could be a more reliable parameter than ash content to serve as a novel indicator for flour grading and blending. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Identification of effective selection criteria for flour grading and blending is highly desirable by the industry. The new criteria developed in the present study, which signifies the role of crude fat distribution instead of ash content in blending, is expected to provide the industry with a rational tool to ensure the quality of flour and subsequent products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]