EVALUATION OF ANALYSIS RESULTS OF WHEAT FLOUR FROM DIFFERENT RHEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS LABORATORIES

Fernanda Jaqueline Menegusso1 Amauri Anzolin Viecili1 Tatiane Pauly Dermnio Tadeu Lima Ferreira
1

ABSTRACT
Rheological flour evaluation, is of vital importance for baking industries allowing foreseeing its final usage. Rheology also plays an active role in the quality control and in the specification of ingredients and additives to be used in the elaborated products. The objective of this research was to evaluate if the results of wheat flour rheological analyses from different laboratories would present significant variations. The research took place between the months of January and March of 2009, where samples from the same batch were sent to 18 distinct laboratories, with a determined date for the analyses. The obtained results showed that in the month of January Falling Number analyses presented an average data dispersion. In February mineral (ashes) analyses presented a high data dispersion. And in March alveography (L) presented a high data dispersion with homogeneity of the sample. It was concluded that there was average and high data dispersion in different analyses during the three months analyzed, indicating that significant variations happened in the rheological analyses results from the laboratories. Analyses which presented errors were the Falling Number, Ashes and Alveography (L). The discrepancies observed could have happened due to human mistakes or problems related to equipment oscillation. Keywords: Comparison, interlaboratory, variance.

1 INTRODUCTION
Wheat is a Triticum grass having a large diversity of species. The most common types are Triticum aestivu L. (common wheat), used on(in) the production of bread, cakes, biscuits, and pastry products, Triticum compactum Host (cultivated in the U.S. under the name Club wheat), used in pastry products, and Triticum Durum Dest (Durum wheat), used to prepare many kinds of pasta (Germani, 2007; Embrapa).

Acadmico do curso de Agronomia. Faculdade Assis Gurgacz (FAG). Endereo: Avenida das Torres n. 500, CEP: 85.806095, Bairro Santa Cruz, Cascavel, PR. fernandinha_179@hotmail.com, amauri_vipnet@hotmail.com 2 Engenheira Agrnoma bolsista pela Fundao Araucria. Endereo: Avenida das Torres n. 500, CEP: 85.806095, Bairro Santa Cruz, Cascavel, PR. tatiane.pauly@yahoo.com.br 3 Dr. Docente da Faculdade Assis Gurgacz (FAG). Endereo: Avenida das Torres n. 500, CEP: 85.806-095, Bairro Santa Cruz, Cascavel, PR. tadeu@fag.edu.br

Wheat cultivation in Brazil extends from the south to the center west regions. This wide, cereal-production region houses a large diversity of distinct climate and soil. This has different affects on the technological quality of wheat cultivars making the same cultivar planted in a determined region to have different characteristics in another. Moreover, climate condition variations at each harvest in the same region make stable technological quality maintenance difficult among different harvests. Quality is affected by a range of factors that contribute to different performance of the product from sowing to pos-harvesting such as: edaphoclimatic conditions, cultivar, soil management, culture treatment, harvest, transport, storage, etc (Miranda, 2008). Rheological evaluation of the flour, where viscosity and elasticity properties of the dough are determined, is of vital importance to the bakery industry allowing predicting its final usage. Rheology also plays an important role in quality control and in ingredient and preservative specifications to be used in the elaborated products (Gutkosky, 2002). In addition to rheological tests, there are the physical-chemical ones that also evaluate important characteristics for the pastry industry. Among them we have gluten, ash content, flour color, and Falling number tests. AACC International introduced the Check Sample Service in 1948 after recognizing that laboratories had limited ways to assure analysis precision. In addition, labs lacked a service to inspect their techniques and recurrent control to assure the best quality control. AACC`s Check Sample Service became an important protection for laboratories associated with food worldwide (AACC, 2007). According to AACC (2007), the analyses can be performed monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly and incorporates numerous services as follows: 1- Analytical Series where hard wheat flour and soft wheat flour are analyzed for humidity, ash, protein, and Falling number; ration analysis, and mixture analysis for bakery and for cereal based products; food fiber and Betaglucan analysis; vitamin and mineral analysis; and sugar analysis; 2- Physical Test Series where Alveography, farinography, amylography, Mixography and in RVA - rapid viscoanalyser - tests are performed; A free, monthly program that sends samples of wheat flour to the participants was created in Brazil, and it is coordinated by the Agro-industrial Cooperative in the city of Guarapuava, state of Paran. The target public are their clients and some designated laboratories (currently there are 18 participants). Wheat analyses are the following: humidity, ashes, number of fall, wet gluten, dry gluten, alveography, farinography, color determined in Minolta colorimeter. Result statistical analyses are based in the average of the results (Miranda, 2007). During the evaluation of these items there could be human errors that occur due to the operator unpreparedness or equipment problems. Taking this into consideration this work developed an analysis quality control performed in a laboratory. The objective of this work was to evaluate if the results of wheat flour rheological analyses from different laboratories present significant variations.

2 MATERIAL AND METHODS

The work was performed between the months of January and March, 2009, when samples from the same batch, with a determined date for the analyses, were sent to 18 distinct laboratories. Wheat four samples were submitted to to analyses of humidity, ash content, color (L*, a*, b*), Falling Number, Alveography (P,L,W), and wet and dry gluten according to methodology described below.

2.1 HUMIDITY
Humidity was determined (in percentage) by the loss of the original sample weight (3 grams), for one hour and thirty minutes, using Tecnal TE 393/1 kiln at a constant temperature of 130C using 44-15A AACC, 1995 method.

2.2 ASHES (DRY BASE)

It was determined the quantity of mineral material (in percentage) based on the loss of weight of the sample (6 grams of flour) after it was submitted to calcining for 3 hours in a Mufla drier at 900C, followed by cooling in a disecator in room temperature according to the 44-15A AACC, 1995 method.

2.3 HUMID GLUTEN

Gluten content was determined according to the 38-12 AACC (1995) method by washing 10 grams of wheat flour with a solution of sodium chlorite at 2% using the Glutomatic Perten system, followed by centrifugation under standard conditions. The total of humid gluten is expressed in percentage and gluten index is expressed through the relation between the retained gluten and the gluten that passed through the sieve during centrifugation. Dry gluten was obtained after drying under specific conditions (Oliveira, 2003).

2.4 NUMBER OF FALLS

The number of falls was obtained by measuring the capacity of the Alfa-amylase enzyme in liquefying a starch gel being taken a time measurement (in seconds) required to the mixture to permit a falling of the agitator up to a fixed distance, under an aqua gel of the flour submitted to a constant temperature of 100C, according to method 56 81B AACC (1999).

2.5 COLOR
The objective of the colorimeter of Minolta brand CR410s was to evaluate the wheat flour coloring translating this color in number according to # 14- 22 method of the AACC (1999). The result was expressed in CIELAB which is a color system most used to evaluate the color in food, reading the samples by reflectance (Oliveira, 2003).

2.6 ALVEOGRAPHY
The rheology analyses of the wheat flour was done in the Chopin brand alveograph using the # 50-30A method of the AACC (1999), by the 250 grams of flour elaborated weighed mass and the saline solution volume (2,5%) based in the flour initial humidity. The parameter obtained in the alveogram is tenacity (P), which measures the maximum over pressure exerted in the mass expansion (mm); extensibility (L), which measures the length of the curve (mm) and the mass deformation (W) that corresponds to the mechanical labor necessary to expand the bubble up to the rupture, expressed in 10-4 J.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

After an average of the results between all the researched laboratories of each month, for each kind of analyses, the results were organized in tables 1, 2, and 3 as follows. Table 1: Results referent to the month of January

Observing table 1, it was verified that only the Falling Number analysis presented an average data dispersion with homogeneity of the sample confirmed by the variable coefficient, which presented an equal value to 17.6%. The alveography (P, L, W) analyses, Humidity, Ashes, humid Gluten, dry Gluten and the color values presented low data dispersion also with sample homogeneity. Table 2: results from the month of February

Evaluating table 2 it was observed that the alveography analyses (P), Humidity, dry Gluten and Color values obtained a low data dispersion with sample homogeneity, presenting values of equal variation coefficient to (6.1%), (7.0%), (8.8%), (0.3%) e (2.1%) respectively. Alveography (L, W), Falling Number, and humid gluten showed a variation coefficient equal to (10.6%), (11.2%), (11.8%) and (10.7%), obtaining average dispersion of data with sample homogeneity. On the other hand, ash analysis showed a 22.53% variation coefficient indicating high dispersion of data but with sample homogeneity. Table 3: Results referent to the month of March

Analyzing table 3, it was observed that the high dispersion of data in the Alveography analysis with the variable L, showing a 20.43% coefficient of variation indicating sample homogeneity. Only analyses of ash (11.17%), Falling Number (11.38%), and W (13.95%) presented average data dispersion with sample homogeneity confirmed by the variation

coefficient. Color analysis presented low data dispersion with sample homogeneity as well.

4 CONCLUSION
We concluded that there was high and low data dispersion in different analyses during those three months indicating that there was significant variation for the rheological analyses of the laboratories. The analyses that showed inaccuracy were: Falling Number, Ash, and Alveography (L). The discrepancies observed could have occurred due to human error or problems related to equipment oscillation. In face of this result, we suggest that measures should be taken related to care during analysis performance, as well as correct equipment maintenance.

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