The Problem

Organic wheat produced in the UK does not meet the functional/quality requirements of the baking industry and is normally used in combination with imported wheat of higher functional quality to make good bread.  To date not only has there been no integrated approach to explore and optimise the interactions between organic operations, varieties and prevailing climatic conditions. In addition the functional quality and resulting suitability for breadmaking has never featured in organic wheat optimisation programmes.

Project Aims

The aim of the project is to assist the UK food industry to produce organic bread of good quality using sustainably produced domestically grown organic wheat.

Approach

The project aims will be achieved by optimising sustainable organic production approaches to provide raw materials with functional attributes best suited to organic breadmaking methods.  Agronomic field trials will be used to identify inputs which will optimise breadmaking quality in organic spring wheat.  Investigations into the effect of manipulation of milling and baking processes on the quality of organically produced bread will be conducted.  The three milling companies would undertake commercial scale trials on different flour extraction rates to establish the technical and economic feasibility of these modifications on breadmaking quality. The baking partners would validate the dough mixing and headspace conditions indicated by the pilot trials at CCFRA to establish the effect of such modifications in commercial scale production.

Benefits to the industry

Organic wheat of breadmaking quality must be produced from suitable varieties grown under conditions of adequate late season nitrogen supply in order to attain adequate levels of grain protein.  The manufacture of organic bread from UK wheat requires the flour to be milled to suitable extraction rates and the dough preparation procedures to be manipulated to optimise loaf volume and quality.   Manipulation of manure management and varietal type will provide a basis for successful attainment of improved protein quality for breadmaking. It is not unrealistic to believe that improvements in the functional quality of organic UK wheat could allow the level of its incorporation to rise to approximately 50% (closer to the organic action plan target of 70%).  This would realise increased revenue to UK growers of around £1.9million p.a.