INVESTIGATION OF BAKING PROPERTIES OF FLOUR PRODUCED FROM WHEAT OF DIFFERENT HARVEST YEARS

The article presents the results of a study on the influence of wheat harvest year on the baking properties of wheat flour of premium, first, and second grades. Two types of milling blends were used: 100% wheat from the 2024 harvest and a 50:50 mixture of wheat from the 2023 and 2024 harvests. The rheological and technological properties of the flour were evaluated using a Farinograph (Brabender) and a AlveoLab (Chopin Technologies) in accordance with ISO 5530-1 and ISO 27971. The analyzed parameters included water absorption, dough development time, dough stability, degree of softening, farinograph quality number (FQN), as well as dough tenacity (P), extensibility (L), strength (W), P/L ratio, and elasticity (Ie) and extensibility (G) indexes. It was established that the use of wheat blends from different harvest years (2023 and 2024) has a positive effect on flour baking properties. In premium-grade flour (Sample 1), the degree of dough softening decreased by 25 FU compared to flour made from 100% 2024 wheat (Sample 2), while dough stability increased (11 vs. 10 minutes) along with the farinograph quality number (43 vs. 42 FU). For first grade flour (Samples 3 and 4), the mixed wheat sample showed a 15 FU lower softening, a higher farinograph quality number (53 vs. 46 FU), and a longer dough development time (3.5 vs. 2.5 minutes), indicating more structured and stable gluten formation. In second-grade flour (Samples 5 and 6), although the 100% new crop wheat sample had higher dough stability (7.5 vs. 5.0 minutes) and farinograph quality number (54 vs. 50 FU), both samples showed a high degree of softening, which reduces the predictability of processing properties. Overall, combining wheat from different harvest years provides a better balance of dough extensibility, stability, and resistance to mechanical stress—key factors in producing high-quality bakery products. The results confirm the feasibility of forming milling blends from multi-year wheat crops to improve flour quality and ensure stable technological performance in bakery manufacturing. These findings are particularly relevant for milling enterprises facing variability in raw material quality due to climatic conditions or storage duration. The proposed approach to combining wheat from different harvest years can serve as a practical tool for stabilizing flour functionality and improving the efficiency of production processes in the baking industry.