What are the classes of wheat and how they differ from each other

Mankind has been familiar with wheat for more than one thousand years - since ancient times, flour has been made from it, from which they then bake bread, obtain alcohol, and feed for livestock. Millions of hectares of agricultural land have been allocated for this culture, and with the growth of the population, this area is increasing. Breeders have developed hundreds of varieties of this cereal with various characteristics and consumer properties. Ordinary consumers associate this culture with endless fields, spikelets, combines, mills, bread and pastries.

Meanwhile, this agricultural crop has a lot of features about which the layman knows very little or nothing at all. In this article, you will learn how wheat is classified and how different varieties, types and varieties of grain are used.

What classes are wheat divided into

The main grain classification is used to denote the quality of the grain. According to the quality criterion, wheat is divided into six classes - from the first to the sixth. The first is considered the best, then the classification goes in descending order of quality indicators and consumer properties.

Classes, in turn, are grouped into two groups - group "A" and group "B". Group "A" includes the first three classes of wheat (1st, 2nd, 3rd class). Group "B" includes two classes (4th and 5th grades). Grade 6 stands alone and represents the lowest quality grain with a large amount of garbage, impurities, and defective grains.

How to define a class

The crop class is determined based on the characteristics of the grain (gluten, protein content, the presence of impurities, debris, damaged and diseased grains, etc.).

The main indicators that determine the class are the following parameters - glassiness, gluten and protein content.

Vitreous - This is an indicator characterizing the milling properties of grain - its cereal-forming ability and the proportion of output from it of high grades of flour. In terms of vitreousness, this culture is divided into vitreous, partially vitreous and mealy. Vitreousness is determined by cutting the grain and examining it with a diaphanoscope.

Gluten is the percentage of a group of storing proteins in cereals, which determines the taste and baking properties of the grain. The gluten and protein content is determined by laboratory methods.

Comparative table of characteristics

Grains are compared by classes in accordance with its main characteristics - protein content, gluten, gluten deformation index, falling number (alpha-amylase content index), grain nature (density), gluten group.

Here are the main differences between different classes in the table:

The culture of the upper classes is valued most expensively on the market, therefore the most developed countries, as a rule, try to specialize in the production of grain of the highest category (first, second, third class). They prefer to buy fodder (feed) wheat from less developed countries.

Types

In addition to the above classification, the culture is subdivided into soft and solid varieties, as well as by the type of sowing - on winter and spring.

Soft and hard

Soft and hard wheat varieties differ in the appearance of ears and grains (soft stems are thin and hollow along the entire length, hard stems are thick, filled with loose parenchyma), wheat grains are mealy, glassy or semi-glassy consistency, color from white to dark red. Soft wheat is grown in regions with a humid climate (where there is guaranteed rainfall), hard wheat - in regions with a dry climate.

Hard varieties have smaller and harder grains of yellowish or brown color. The starch of soft wheat has softer and larger grains, so the flour from it turns out to be more crumbly, poorly absorbing liquid, prone to hardening, therefore it is used for the manufacture of confectionery.

In durum wheat, the starch grains are hard and small, the flour from it has a fine-grained structure with a high gluten content, absorbs water well, does not stale for a long time, is used in the production of pasta.

Reference. Durum wheat contains more gluten, has a higher glassiness, is less susceptible to disease and pests, does not crumble, but has a lower yield (by about 2 centners per hectare).

Winter and spring

Winter wheat is used in regions with a pronounced seasonality. Winter crops are sown in late summer or early autumn; by the onset of cold weather, it does very well take root and germinate, and in the spring it resumes its growth and ripens before the spring. Possesses high unpretentiousness and productivity (by 20-25% surpasses the spring in this indicator).

A spring crop is sown in spring, during the summer it goes through a full cycle of its development and produces a harvest in autumn. It adapts well to any conditions, it is also used in case of complete or partial death of winter wheat for sowing in spring ("overseeding").

Wheat use depending on its classification

Wheat of the first, second and third class (group "A") is considered food and is used in the milling and baking industry for the manufacture of various bakery products. The grain of this group is widely exported.

Wheat of the fourth and fifth class (group "B") is also considered food and is used for the manufacture of various cereals and pasta.

Wheat of the sixth class is considered to be fodder (the lowest quality) and is used for the manufacture of various feeds and food additives for agricultural livestock.

Countries with developed animal husbandry and industry prefer to import feed grains, since their grain agriculture specializes in growing wheat of the highest grades.

Conclusion

Knowledge of the classification of wheat and its areas of application is necessary both for general development and for the correct choice of procurement policy when purchasing large volumes of wheat and producing food and feed products from wheat.