Effect of long-term storage conditions on wheat flour and bread baking properties

This paper presents a study on the effect of storage conditions on wheat flour quality for 30 months. Such study may be of interest for research projects conducted over long periods. Wheat flours were stored in two types of packaging (permeable paper bags and watertight containers) and at two temperatures (ambient temperature and a cold storage room). Selected qualities parameters were evaluated regularly such as chemical stability, consistency, extensibility, resistance, water absorption, Solvent Retention Capacity and Gluten Index Performance. In addition, Near-Infrared Spectroscopy was used to monitor the flour's evolution and models were employed to predict certain parameters. The results showed that storage at ambient temperature led to significant modifications of flour parameters and baking performances, whereas storage at low temperature preserved the initial quality of the flour. A practical recommendation is to favour storage at low temperature in a sealed container to prevent interaction with oxygen and moisture uptake.