Determination of quality characteristics of bread wheat processed in Diyarbakir province flour factories

The quality characteristics of wheat are important not only for flour production, but also for the production of other food products. Wheat is the most widely grown cereal crop worldwide and is an economically important crop in many countries. Therefore, understanding the factors that determine wheat quality is important for the sustainability of the agricultural sector. In addition, wheat quality can be affected by various factors during the production process, so quality control should be done at every stage of production, not just during the harvest season. Many flour mills operating in Diyarbakir province produce flour of different capacities and qualities. Wheat quality is determined by properties such as sedimentation, wet gluten, gluten index, moisture content, water absorption, falling number (FN), energy value and elasticity value. Flour mills purchase different wheat varieties every year and quality factors vary among these varieties. In the 2020 wheat harvest season, samples were taken from different wheat varieties (Bezostaja-I, Ceyhan-99, Adana-99, Ziyabey, Sagittoria, Pineor, Tekira, Negev, Gusulya, Basribey, Karya, Massacio) grown in Diyarbakir and quality analyses were performed. As a result of the study, different quality factors found in the samples were revealed. Karya wheat variety had the highest water absorption rate (%57.46), while Negev variety had the highest extensograph energy value (147.85cm²). Massacio variety had the highest extensograph elasticity value (148.15 mm), and Ceyhan-99 variety had the highest maximum resistance value (927.82 BU). The highest wet gluten rate was detected in Gusulya variety (%32.98), while Adana-99 variety had the highest gluten index value (%97.43). The highest sedimentation value was found in Ceyhan-99 variety (45.05 ml), and the highest delayed sedimentation value was found in Negev variety (59.63 ml). Bezostaja-1 variety had the highest falling number (FN) value (449.83 sec). These results show that flour mills should consider quality factors when selecting wheat varieties because the flour mills in this region serve both local and national markets. Therefore, knowing about the quality and different varieties of wheat will help factories to carry out quality control in their production process. In addition, determining the qualities of different wheat varieties is an important source of information for the agricultural sector and can help make the right choices in future harvest seasons.