Evaluation of Hydrothermal Treatment of Winter Wheat Grain with Ozonated Water

Abstract

Products must be cleaned or otherwise treated to keep them clean when they are prepared for further production or when they are supplied fresh to the consumer. Cereals have significantly lower settling losses than succulent agricultural products, but the risks that can arise from their hydrothermal treatment before milling—where the cereals are moistened and left to rest for 14 h (temperature 30 °C)—are often underestimated. This operation creates a favourable environment for the development of micro-organisms, which, if not destroyed, can continue throughout the processing stages and be passed on to the consumer. This study investigated the qualitative characteristics of winter wheat hydrothermally treated with ozonated water at a concentration of 1.51 ± 0.1 mg L−1, such as the amount of mould in the grains and flour, as well as the grain protein, moisture, gluten, sedimentation, starch and weight per hectolitre. For the assessment of these parameters, the account was taken of the State standard, which provides the grain class and the type of grain. The reduction in mould fungi after the treatment of the winter wheat grain with ozonated water ranged between 440 and 950 CFU g−1. The results of the microbiological analysis showed that the ozone treatment improved the mycological safety of the flour samples made from the grain from an average of 390 ± 110 CFU g−1 to 29 ± 12 CFU g−1. On the other hand, the treatment of kernels with ozonated water did not significantly affect the basic composition of the winter wheat grains.