Research Progress on Effects of Wheat Tempering Technology on Flour Quality

Wheat tempering is an important step in wheat milling process. Appropriate tempering method is beneficial to shorten tempering time, reduce microbial content, improve the quality of flour and by-products, reduce energy consumption and save production cost. However, tempering process is often affected by multiple factors such as raw grain varieties, water quality, water addition, time, temperature, season and climate. At present, wheat flour processing enterprises are facing technical problems such as uneven tempering and easy breeding of microorganisms in the tempering process. In this paper, the basic principle of wheat tempering and the effects of raw grain, water addition, different temperature and humidity, time and other factors on wheat tempering were introduced in detail. The effects of different tempering methods such as heat treatment, vibration, ultrasound, vacuum, fracturing damage, biological enzyme preparation, salt water, acid water and other sterilization treatment on wheat processing and product quality were emphatically expounded. The advantages and disadvantages of different tempering methods and their application in current domestic production were also summarized in order to provide reference for wheat milling enterprises. Finally, it is pointed out that further research should be carried out on the accurate calculation and regulation of water content and the combination of different tempering methods and its effects on flour application quality for different wheat varieties.