Wheat Flour

Wheat flour is produced by grinding wheat, partially or completely removing bran and germ, and is used to make wheat-based food products.

Nutritional Value

Wheat flour contains protein, starch, fat, vitamins, and inorganic salts. The protein content in wheat flour is higher than other grain products, generally above 11%, and can reach as high as 15%-20%. It consists of gliadin and glutenin, which can form elastic gluten when absorbing water. Therefore, wheat flour can be used to make foods with unique quality and flavor. The carbohydrate content in wheat flour is above 70%, mainly consisting of starch, cellulose, and other sugars, which are the main sources of energy for the human body.

Quality Standards

Wheat flour is generally divided into three categories: Premium Flour, Standard Flour, and All-Purpose Flour. The classification is based on various quality indicators in the current national standard GB/T 1355-2021 (implemented 2023-01-01), including: milling precision (the degree of bran residue in wheat flour), ash content (dry basis), fatty acid value (wet basis, KOH), moisture content, sand content, magnetic metal particles, color, odor, appearance, and wet gluten content.

Quality Standard	Premium Flour	Standard Flour	All-Purpose Flour
Milling Precision	Check bran specks by comparing with standard samples or instrument readings
Ash Content/%	≤0.70	≤1.10	≤1.60
Fatty Acid Value/(mg/100g)	≤80
Moisture Content/%	≤14.5
Sand Content/%	≤0.02
Magnetic Metal/(g/kg)	≤0.003
Color, Odor	Normal
Appearance	Powdery or granular, no caking
Wet Gluten Content/%	≥22.0

TIP

Source: GB/T 1355-2021