Improve the Shelf Life Of Wheat Flour - How To Store Wheat Flour Long-Term?
Wheat flour is pretty much a staple ingredient and commodity in many cuisines around the world, and also a household name. It is used to make different condiments and staples like bread, pastries, pasta, and many other baked goods. Wheat flour is also a good source of carbohydrates, protein, and fibre.
You can determine the shelf life of wheat flour by a variety of factors, including the composition of the flour, ingredients used, the quality of the ingredients used, the milling process, the addition of stabilizers and additives, long-term storage conditions, and the bleaching process. However, the most common factor that determines the shelf life of wheat is the type of flour and how it was processed and made. Unbleached all-purpose wheat flour has a shorter shelf life than bleached whole wheat flour. So, how can you lengthen the shelf life of wheat flour?
How to store wheat flour long-term efficiently and improve its storage quality?
You can definitely make use of Oxygen absorbers to store wheat flour for extended periods of time. An oxygen absorber is an absorbent material that removes oxygen from the atmosphere or air and aids in reducing humidity and moisture levels during transit, storage, and transport. When oxygen is eliminated from the packaging, it forms an environment that is can easily prevent damage due to mold, insects, and other microorganisms. As a result, wheat flour can be stored for an extended period of time, of up to 10 years, without any kind of damage or loss of its quality.
Factors affecting the shelf life of wheat flour
Moisture plays a big role in how long wheat flour can last without going bad. Wheat flour is in powdered form. absorbs moisture from the air, which can cause it to stick together, and get clogged up with mold and bacteria also form insects. When flour may become wet due to atmospheric moisture or humidity, it not only changes the taste and texture of the flour, but it can also make it unusable. Too much moisture content can cause the flour to become rancid and have a bad flavour, taste, and smell, which means it won't last as long.
Another important factor is air exposure. So, when wheat flour comes into contact with oxygen from the atmosphere, it can start to oxidize, and chemically change its composition. This oxidation process if not taken care of before time, can cause the flour to lose its freshness, lose some of its nutritional value, and have a bad flavour.
Oxygen exposure can also cause wheat flour to become infested with harmful microorganisms, mould, and insects. Ensuring that your flour is sealed properly and stored in an airtight container is important to reduce the impact of deoxidizer on the flour and extend its shelf life.
Wheat flourâs shelf life is also greatly determined and affected by temperature. Higher temperatures and frequent temperature changes can speed up the breakdown of wheat flour, making it more likely to become rancid and prone to spoilage and infestation. When there are frequent temperature changes, between warm or hot temperatures, the breakdown of the fats and oils in the flour can occur and cause an unpleasant taste and smell of the stored flour.
On the other hand, lower temperatures, like when it's cold or freezing, can actually help the wheat flour last for longer durations efficiently because it slows down the chemical reactions that may cause it to break down. So it's really important to store your wheat flour in a cold, dry place, or use oxygen absorbers, to keep it fresh and healthy.
The use of Oxygen Absorbers in Flour, Rice & Pulses Packaging is essential and can greatly help with the long-term preservation of food products, powders, flours, and many other compounds, as it helps to reduce the growth of aerobic bacteria, slows down the oxidation process, and prevents spoilage.
These absorbers are composed of a combination of iron powder and salt, as well as naturally occurring zeolite adsorbent, and are placed in a sachet that is a porous material, easy to adsorb the moisture and humidity. The iron reacts with oxygen to form iron oxide, which effectively removes oxygen from the environment, leaving the contents of the packaging dry and void of moisture or vapor, resulting in longer shelf life, improved taste, and increased nutritional value for stored foods.
Tips on How to Use Oxygen Absorbers for Wheat Flour Storage
When selecting a container for storing wheat flour, it is important to ensure that it is airtight, of food-grade quality, and that it can well accommodate the amount of flour that needs to be stored. This way there is no room for moisture to get into the packaging which can lead to spoilage.
Make sure the wheat flour is clean and dry. It is important to start with clean and dry wheat flour for the best storage.
There are different sizes of oxygen absorbers available in the market, each used for a specific application, so choose and figure out the right size based on how big the storage container is and the guidelines for using them given by the manufacturer.
Place the oxygen absorbers into the container with the wheat flour and quickly air-tight seal the container immediately after adding them to prevent air from re-entering the packaging. You need to make sure to seal the container tightly to create an airtight environment.
Once sealed air-tight, keep the container cool, dry, and dark in a place that's not exposed to direct sunlight or extreme temperatures, humidity or moisture levels. This will help keep the oxygen absorbers in good working order and help the wheat flour last longer.
If you follow these steps, you'll be able to use the oxygen absorbers to make your wheat flour store oxygen-free, keeping it fresh and high quality for a long time.
