Wheat flour and wheat flour composition

Abstract

To provide wheat flour and a wheat flour composition containing the same that exhibit excellent nutritional value and impart favorable workability during the production of processed foods manufactured from wheat flour.SOLUTION: A wheat flour composition for processed foods comprises wheat flour obtained by grinding debranned wheat having an ash content greater than 0.7 mass% and less than or equal to 1.6 mass%, the wheat flour having an emulsifying capacity, as determined through a prescribed process, that is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention provides a specific wheat flour, a wheat flour composition containing the same, and methods for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Most commercially available wheat flour is produced by removing the wheat bran and germ during the milling process, but in recent years, with the rise in health consciousness, whole wheat flour, which is milled without removing the bran and germ, has also been used. However, although whole wheat flour is rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, etc., because it contains bran and germ, it has problems such as sticky dough, poor workability, and difficulty in producing a volume product. In response to these problems, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing whole wheat flour in which coarsely ground raw wheat is separated into a fine powder fraction and a coarse powder fraction (bran fraction), the coarse powder fraction (bran fraction) is subjected to a moist heat treatment and then finely ground in an impact mill, and the resulting finely ground product is again separated and the separated fine powder fraction (finely ground bran fraction) is mixed with the fine powder fraction of the coarsely ground raw wheat. Patent Document 2 discloses a method for producing whole wheat flour in which wheat grains are coarsely ground, then classified to separate them into a fraction below a specific particle size and a fraction above that particle size, the fraction above that particle size is finely ground in an impact mill, and the resulting finely ground product is again classified and mixed with the fraction below the specific particle size. Patent Document 3 discloses a method for producing mill-ground wheat flour containing 12.0 to 18.0 mass % damaged starch, an average particle size of 30 to 100 μm, and 80% or more of a fraction having a particle size of 125 μm or less. However, the fractions produced by these methods still do not have excellent nutritional value and good workability in the production of processed foods. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2007-082541 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2007-061813 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-052691 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide wheat flour which has excellent nutritional value and provides good workability in producing processed foods from wheat flour, and a wheat flour composition containing the same. Another object of the present invention is to provide wheat flour and a wheat flour composition containing the same that are excellent in nutritional value and provide good workability and volume in the production of processed foods made from wheat flour. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The inventors have discovered that the above problem can be solved by using wheat flour obtained by grinding peeled wheat flour having a certain amount of ash content and having a certain emulsifying power, and a wheat flour composition containing the same. The present invention provides the following aspects. [1] A wheat flour composition for processed foods, characterized in that it contains wheat flour obtained by grinding dehulled wheat grains having an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass and not more than 1.6% by mass, and has an emulsifying power of 7 or more as determined by the following steps 1 to 5: Step 1: Put 1 g of flour and 15 mL of distilled water into a 50 mL centrifuge tube and suspend it; Step 2: After the suspension in step 1, add 20 mL of room temperature liquid oil to the 50 mL centrifuge tube and mix until emulsified; Step 3: After mixing in step 2, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed in a shaker (TAITEC, SR-2S) and shaken at 300 rpm for 10 minutes; Step 4: After shaking in step 3, attach the 50 mL centrifuge tube to a high-speed centrifuge and centrifuge at 1600 g for 10 minutes; Step 5: After the centrifugation in step 4, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed upright in the vertical direction and left to stand until the interface of the emulsified layer is horizontal. The volume Y (cm) of the emulsified layer is then measured. 3 ) is measured, and Y is the emulsifying power of the wheat flour. [2] The flour composition according to [1], wherein the processed food is a bakery food. [3] A premix flour for processed foods, comprising the wheat flour composition according to [1] or [2]. [4] A dough for processed foods, comprising the wheat flour composition according to [1] or [2] or the premix flour according to [3]. [5] A processed food obtained by heating the dough described in [4]. [6] A method for producing a flour composition containing said wheat flour, comprising: preparing dehulled wheat grains having an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass and not more than 1.6% by mass; and grinding the grains to produce flour having an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass and not more than 1.6% by mass, and having an emulsifying power of 7 or more as determined by the following steps 1 to 5: Step 1: Put 1 g of flour and 15 mL of distilled water into a 50 mL centrifuge tube and suspend it; Step 2: After the suspension in step 1, add 20 mL of room temperature liquid oil to the 50 mL centrifuge tube and mix until emulsified; Step 3: After mixing in step 2, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed in a shaker (TAITEC, SR-2S) and shaken at 300 rpm for 10 minutes; Step 4: After shaking in step 3, attach the 50 mL centrifuge tube to a high-speed centrifuge and centrifuge at 1600 g for 10 minutes; Step 5: After the centrifugation in step 4, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed upright in the vertical direction and left to stand until the interface of the emulsified layer is horizontal. The volume Y (cm) of the emulsified layer is then measured. 3 ) is measured, and Y is the emulsifying power of the wheat flour. [7] The manufacturing method described in [6], wherein all of the ash in the wheat flour is derived from the ash in the raw material, peeled wheat grains. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, wheat flour which is excellent in nutritional value and has good workability in producing processed foods, and a wheat flour composition containing the same are provided. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain bakery foods that are excellent in nutritional value, have good workability due to suppressed stickiness during production, and have a high product volume. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] <Wheat flour, wheat flour composition, and methods for producing the same> The first aspect of the present invention is a wheat flour composition for processed foods, characterized in that it contains wheat flour obtained by grinding dehulled wheat grains having an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass and not more than 1.6% by mass, and which has an emulsifying power of 7 or more as determined by steps 1 to 5 described below. A second aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a flour composition containing said wheat flour, comprising preparing peeled wheat grains having an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass but not more than 1.6% by mass, and grinding the grains to produce wheat flour having an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass but not more than 1.6% by mass, and having an emulsifying power of 7 or greater as determined by steps 1 to 5 described below.

[0008] The wheat used as the raw material for the wheat flour of the present invention is not particularly limited, and soft wheat, medium wheat, hard wheat, etc. can be used. Other examples include hexaploid wheat, double-grain wheat, etc., and mixtures thereof are also acceptable. As used herein, the term "flour composition" refers to a composition containing or consisting of the flour of the present invention. The flour composition may contain the flour of the present invention in a major amount, specifically 50% by mass or more, preferably 80% by mass or more, and more preferably 100% by mass. The wheat flour contained in the wheat flour composition of the present invention is obtained by grinding dehulled wheat grains with an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass and not more than 1.6% by mass, and has an emulsifying power of 7 or more as measured by the method described below. The characteristics of this wheat flour can be achieved by combining dehulling and grinding processes. Dehulling is a process that removes the outer layer from the outermost part of the wheat grain. There are no particular restrictions on the dehulling method, and methods such as grinding and friction can be used. Dehulling can also be performed using a combination of two or more types of milling machines. By removing an appropriate amount of the epidermis through dehulling, the ash content can be adjusted to more than 0.7% by mass and not more than 1.6% by mass. The method for pulverizing the dehulled wheat is not particularly limited, and known milling methods such as roll, airflow, pin (impact), hammer, cyclone, ultracentrifugal, turbo mill, mortar, and pounding can be used. Pulverization can also be performed using a combination of two or more types of mills. By devising the pulverization method and pulverization strength, samples with different emulsifying power can be obtained. The wheat flour of the present invention is obtained by grinding dehulled wheat grains having an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass but not more than 1.6% by mass, preferably 0.8-1.5% by mass. The ash content in the wheat flour of the present invention is preferably entirely derived from the ash content of the raw dehulled wheat grains. Therefore, the ash content of wheat flour obtained by grinding dehulled wheat grains having an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass but not more than 1.6% by mass is more than 0.7% by mass but not more than 1.6% by mass, preferably 0.8-1.5% by mass. The ash content of wheat flour correlates with the dietary fiber and mineral content in the wheat flour, and is generally positively proportional. When the ash content of wheat flour is 0.7% by mass or less, the wheat flour composition contains insufficient dietary fiber and minerals to satisfy health-conscious consumers, resulting in insufficient nutritional value and making the flour unsuitable. However, excessively high ash content can affect the working properties of processed foods during production. Since ash content itself does not directly affect workability, it is thought that another substance that correlates with ash content affects workability, and that ash content is an indicator of this. The ash content of commercially available wheat flour is generally about 0.3 to 0.7% by mass, and the above-mentioned ash content value was measured by the magnesium acetate ashing method.

[0009] <Emulsifying power> In the present invention, emulsifying power is an index showing the degree to which oil and water mix at the interface when they are mixed. The higher the emulsifying power, the better the water and oil can be mixed. Wheat flour also has emulsifying power, which exhibits an emulsifying action that forms an emulsion at the water-oil interface. This is thought to be because the water-soluble or oil-soluble components eluted from wheat flour contain components with amphiphilic properties. When wheat flour is used in foods such as bread dough or noodle dough, which are made by adding water, oil, and other ingredients, the dough can become sticky and the oil and fat can be difficult to mix, making it difficult to work with. To improve these problems, emulsifiers are sometimes used, but this can be compensated for by increasing the emulsifying power of the wheat flour itself through the grinding process. Emulsifiers are also sometimes used to improve oven stretch during bread making, but this can also be compensated for by increasing the emulsifying power of the wheat flour itself.

[0010] <Definition and measurement method of emulsifying power> In this specification, the "emulsifying power" of wheat flour is a value indicated by Y determined by the following steps 1 to 5. Step 1: Put 1 g of flour and 15 mL of distilled water into a 50 mL centrifuge tube and suspend it; Step 2: After the suspension in step 1, add 20 mL of room temperature liquid oil to the 50 mL centrifuge tube and mix until emulsified; Step 3: After mixing in step 2, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed in a shaker (TAITEC, SR-2S) and shaken at 300 rpm for 10 minutes; Step 4: After shaking in step 3, attach the 50 mL centrifuge tube to a high-speed centrifuge and centrifuge at 1600 g for 10 minutes; Step 5: After the centrifugation in step 4, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed upright in the vertical direction and left to stand until the interface of the emulsified layer is horizontal. The volume Y (cm) of the emulsified layer is then measured. 3 ) is measured and used as the emulsifying power of the wheat flour. The distilled water used in step 1 above may be at ambient temperature. The centrifuge tube may be made of any material as long as it can be used for processes such as mixing with a vortex mixer, shaking with a shaker, and centrifuging with a centrifuge. For example, it may be made of plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene, or reinforced glass. The mixing in step 2 above may be carried out sufficiently until emulsification occurs, for example, by stirring for approximately 10 seconds using a vortex mixer. Any vortex mixer may be used. For example, a TAIYO S-100 may be used to perform mixing for 10 seconds. Any shaker may be used in the above step 3, and an example is the SR-2S manufactured by TAITEC. In step 4 above, any high-speed centrifuge may be used. Step 5: After the centrifugation in step 4, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed upright in the vertical direction and left to stand until the interface of the emulsified layer is horizontal. The volume Y (cm) of the emulsified layer is then measured. 3 ) is measured.

[0011] The present invention has been experimentally discovered to have the effect that by using wheat flour having both the specific ash content and the specific emulsifying power derived from the above-mentioned peeled wheat grains, it is possible to obtain processed foods with excellent nutritional value, good workability during production of the wheat flour, and good product volume. The emulsifying power is preferably 7 or higher, more preferably 9 or higher, and even more preferably 10 or higher. Having an emulsifying power of 7 or higher allows for a flour composition that is easy to process, i.e., easy to work with during the production of processed foods, such as product volume. Furthermore, as the emulsifying power increases, the dough becomes less sticky, the spreadability improves, and the workability during production and product volume also improves, which is desirable. Because the efficiency of wheat grain milling decreases, an emulsifying power of 50 or lower is desirable, with 40 or lower being even more desirable.

[0012] As described above, the wheat flour of the present invention having a specific emulsifying power can be obtained by adjusting the grinding method and strength, such as the selection of grinding method, grinder rotation speed, sample feed amount, grinding frequency, etc. Alternatively, in addition to grinding, modification such as heat treatment may be performed. The heat-treated wheat flour can be either that obtained by heat-treating unheated wheat flour or that obtained by heat-treating unheated starting wheat flour and then milling the starting wheat flour. The heat treatment applied to the wheat flour or starting wheat flour can be either dry heat treatment or wet heat treatment. Dry heat treatment is a method of heating flour without adding moisture or water vapor, actively evaporating the moisture in the flour. Examples of heat treatment methods include heating flour by exposing it to gas- or solid-mediated conductive heat, radiant heat, reflected heat, hot air, or electromagnetic waves (microwaves). There are no particular limitations on the equipment or machinery used for dry heat treatment; for example, confectionery and bread ovens, reel ovens, roasting kilns, high-temperature dryers, hot air dryers, heat mixers, indirect heating dryers, and microwave generators can be used. Dry heat treatment can be achieved by maintaining the flour in a high-temperature, low-humidity environment. To ensure uniform dry heat treatment, it is preferable to use airflow or mixing with a mixer or the like at appropriate times, or to spread the flour thinly enough to prevent uneven heat conduction. Moisture-heat treatment is a treatment in which the target to be treated (wheat flour or raw wheat) is heated while maintaining the moisture content of the target or while adding moisture to the target. In the moisture-heat treatment, water or steam can be used as the moisture added to the target, and saturated steam is preferably used as the steam. The heating method in the moisture-heat treatment is not particularly limited, and examples include a method in which a heat medium such as hot air is directly brought into contact with the target to be treated, and a method in which the target to be treated is indirectly heated in a high-humidity atmosphere. The equipment used to carry out the moisture-heat treatment is not particularly limited, and examples include an autoclave, a steam oven, and a single- or twin-screw extruder.

[0013] <Premix flour> In the present invention, the premix flour includes the wheat flour of the present invention or a wheat flour composition containing the same. Furthermore, any other raw material typically used in premix flour can be blended. For example, cereal flours such as rye flour, corn flour, barley flour, and rice flour; bran such as wheat bran and rice bran; yeast; yeast food; starches separated and refined from grains, potatoes, beans, and tree trunks, as well as their waxy species (e.g., wheat starch, corn starch, tapioca starch, potato starch, mung bean starch, sago starch, and their waxy starches), and processed starches subjected to gelatinization, etherification, esterification, acetylation, cross-linking, and the like; water-insoluble dietary fiber such as resistant starch; water-soluble dietary fiber such as polydextrose, barley β-glucan, and resistant dextrin; starch hydrolysates such as dextrin; pectin, carrageenan, xanthan gum, guar gum, tara gum, locust, etc. It may contain thickening polysaccharides such as toast bean gum and inulin; cellulose derivatives such as methylcelluloses; sugars such as glucose, fructose, lactose, sugar, and isomaltose; egg yolk, egg white, whole egg, and powdered versions of these, as well as other egg-derived components; dairy components such as milk powder, skim milk powder, and soy milk powder; proteins such as gluten, soy protein, wheat protein, and pea protein; solid or liquid fats and oils such as shortening, lard, margarine, butter, olive oil, and soybean oil; emulsifiers such as glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, lecithin, and sodium caseinate; inorganic salts such as table salt; preservatives; flavorings; spices; vitamins; and fortifiers such as calcium.

[0014] <Processed foods> The processed wheat flour food of the present invention can be any item that uses wheat flour, without any particular restrictions, and is preferably a food produced from the wheat flour of the present invention or a wheat flour composition containing it, or a dough containing premix flour, such as bakery foods, noodles, or fried foods containing wheat flour.

[0015] <Bakery foods> In the present invention, "bakery foods" refer to foods produced using the wheat flour of the present invention, or a wheat flour composition or premix containing the wheat flour. These foods are typically produced by preparing a flowable or non-flowable dough containing dough ingredients from wheat flour and baking it. These foods are produced by kneading a dough containing starches, such as cereal flours other than the wheat flour of the present invention, dough improvers, and optionally, dough ingredients commonly used in the production of bakery food dough, such as fats and oils, sugar, eggs, yeast, and salt, and then leaving the dough to rise by fermentation or by baking or frying. Examples of such foods include breads such as white bread, French bread, rolls, and sweet buns; deep-fried breads such as yeast donuts; steamed breads; pizzas such as pizza pies; cakes such as sponge cakes; and baked goods such as cookies and biscuits. Additives such as vitamins and minerals can also be added as needed. [Example]

[0016] <Production Example 1: Production of wheat flour> Using a barley mill (Satake RME7A), wheat grains were dehulled until the ash content reached a predetermined level. The dehulled wheat grains were then pulverized using an airflow mill (Nishimura Machinery Works, SPM-R200). The rotation speed was adjusted to 5000-8000 rpm, the feed rate to 5-12 kg / h, and the number of pulverizations to one or two times, yielding flours with different emulsifying abilities.

[0017] The emulsifying power of the obtained wheat flour was measured by the method of Measurement Example 1 below. <Measurement Example 1: Measurement of emulsifying power> Step 1: Put 1 g of flour and 15 mL of distilled water into a 50 mL centrifuge tube and suspend it; Step 2: After the suspension in step 1, add 20 mL of room temperature liquid oil to the 50 mL centrifuge tube and mix until emulsified; Step 3: After mixing in step 2, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed in a shaker (TAITEC, SR-2S) and shaken at 300 rpm for 10 minutes; Step 4: After shaking in step 3, attach the 50 mL centrifuge tube to a high-speed centrifuge and centrifuge at 1600 g for 10 minutes; Step 5: After the centrifugation in step 4, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed upright in the vertical direction and left to stand until the interface of the emulsified layer is horizontal. The volume Y (cm) of the emulsified layer is then measured. 3 ) was measured and used as the emulsifying power.

[0018] <Measurement Example 2: Ash content measurement> A combustion improver was prepared by adding 300 ml of distilled water and 6 ml of acetic acid (special grade) to 40 g of magnesium acetate tetrahydrate (special grade) and stirring thoroughly to dissolve the mixture. Then, methanol (special grade) was added to make a 3 L volume. Five grams of sample was weighed into a crucible. Five ml of combustion improver was added, ignited, and pre-fired for 90 minutes, followed by incineration at 800°C for 90 minutes. After cooling to room temperature in a desiccator, the sample was weighed and the ash content per 100 g of flour was calculated. Ground wheat kernels were used as they were; wheat kernels were ground to 500 μm or less using an ultracentrifugal grinder.

[0019] <Measurement example 3: Bread volume measurement method> The volume of the product immediately after baking obtained using a single loaf mold was measured using the rapeseed displacement method. That is, the volume immediately after baking was determined by subtracting the volume of rapeseed when the same container was filled to capacity with the product immediately after baking and rapeseed from the volume of rapeseed filled to capacity in the same container, and this was used as the bread volume. If the single loaf volume was less than 1700 cc, the baked product was small and was considered to be bread of low product value and was therefore unsuitable.

[0020] <Production Example 2 Bread-making method> (1) 70 parts by mass of strong wheat flour (manufactured by Nippon Co., Ltd.: product name Eagle), 30 parts by mass of the prepared wheat flour, 3 parts by mass of yeast, 0.1 parts by mass of yeast food, 2 parts by mass of salt, 5 parts by mass of white sugar, 2 parts by mass of skim milk powder, and 68 parts by mass of water were added, and mixed at low speed for 2 minutes, at medium speed for 3 minutes, and at high speed for 1 minute. Five parts by mass of shortening was added, and the mixture was further mixed at low speed for 1 minute, at medium speed for 3 minutes, and at high speed for 5 minutes to obtain a dough. (2) After fermentation for 60 minutes, the mixture was divided into 460g portions and allowed to rest for 20 minutes. (3) One portion of dough was placed in a single loaf mold, and after 40 minutes of proofing, it was baked at 210°C for 25 minutes to obtain bread.

[0021] <Evaluation example 1: Evaluation of bread > The workability during production was evaluated by 10 experienced panelists according to the following evaluation criteria in Table 1.

[0022] Evaluation Criteria Table 1 TIFF2025150760000001.tif36131

[0023] <Test Example 1: Investigating the effect of emulsifying power when the ash content is the same> Wheat grains of hexaploid wheat (No. 1 Canada Western Red Spring, hereinafter referred to as 1CW) were dehulled and ground according to Preparation Example 1 to obtain a wheat composition with an ash content of 0.90% and an emulsifying power of 5 to 21. These wheat compositions were used to produce bread according to Production Example 2, and the loaf volume was measured according to Measurement Example 3. In addition, the workability during production was evaluated according to Evaluation Example 1. The greater the emulsifying power, the higher the evaluation of workability during production, and the larger the bread volume, resulting in a higher evaluation (Examples 1 to 5). In Comparative Example 1, which had an emulsifying power of 5, the dough became sticky and had poor extensibility, resulting in poor workability and a small bread volume, which was not preferable.

[0024] Table 1 TIFF2025150760000002.tif36144

[0025] <Test Example 2: Investigating the effect of ash content when emulsifying power is the same> Using wheat grains of hexaploid wheat (1CW), dehulled wheat grains were pulverized according to Production Example 1 to obtain wheat compositions with ash contents of 0.71 to 1.65% by mass and emulsifying powers of 4.5 to 5 and 9 to 11. Wheat flour compositions with an ash content of 0.70% by mass or less were excluded because they had insufficient nutritional value (dietary fiber and minerals). These wheat compositions were used to produce bread according to Production Example 2, and the loaf volume was measured according to Measurement Example 3. In addition, the workability during production was evaluated according to Evaluation Example 1. In Comparative Examples 2 to 7, which had emulsifying powers of 4.5 to 5, the dough became sticky and had poor extensibility, resulting in poor workability and a small bread volume, which were undesirable.Furthermore, the higher the ash content, the worse the workability and the smaller the bread volume tended to be. On the other hand, Examples 6 to 11, which had emulsifying powers of 10 to 11, were favorable in that they had good workability and produced large loaf volumes. These results indicate that even if the ash content of wheat flour compositions is the same, differences in emulsifying power affect workability during bread-making and bread volume. Furthermore, when comparing wheat flour compositions with the same emulsifying power, there was a tendency for bread volume and dough quality to improve with a lower ash content.

[0026] Table 2-1 TIFF2025150760000003.tif36146 Table 2-2 TIFF2025150760000004.tif36143

[0027] <Test Example 3: Investigation of the effect of grinding method> Wheat grains of hexaploid wheat (1CW) were peeled and pulverized in the same manner as in Production Example 1, except that the pulverization method was changed as shown in Table 3, to obtain a wheat composition with an ash content of 0.90% and an emulsifying power of 10. These wheat compositions were used to produce bread according to Production Example 2, and the loaf volume was measured according to Measurement Example 3. In addition, the workability during production was evaluated according to Evaluation Example 1. In all of Examples 12 to 17, which used different pulverization methods, desirable products were obtained regardless of the pulverization method.

[0028] Table 3 TIFF2025150760000005.tif47149

Claims

1. A wheat flour composition for processed foods, characterized in that it contains wheat flour obtained by grinding peeled wheat grains having an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass and not more than 1.6% by mass, and has an emulsifying power of 7 or more as determined by the following steps 1 to 5. Step 1: Put 1 g of wheat flour and 15 mL of distilled water into a 50 mL centrifuge tube and suspend it; Step 2: After the suspension in Step 1, 20 mL of room temperature liquid oil is further added to the 50 mL centrifuge tube and mixed until emulsified; Step 3: After the mixing in Step 2, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is attached to a shaker (TAITEC, SR-2S) and shaken at 300 rpm for 10 minutes; Step 4: After the shaking in step 3, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed in a high-speed centrifuge and centrifuged at 1600 g for 10 minutes; Step 5: After the centrifugation in step 4, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed upright in the vertical direction and left to stand until the interface of the emulsified layer becomes horizontal. The volume Y (cm) of the emulsified layer is then measured. 3 ) is measured, and Y is the emulsifying power of the wheat flour.

2. The flour composition according to claim 1, wherein the processed food is a bakery food.

3. A premix flour for processed foods, comprising the wheat flour composition according to claim 1.

4. A dough for processed foods, comprising the wheat flour composition according to claim 1 or 2 or the premix flour according to claim 3.

5. A processed food obtained by heating the dough according to claim 4.

6. A method for producing a flour composition containing said wheat flour, comprising: preparing peeled wheat grains having an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass and not more than 1.6% by mass; and grinding the peeled wheat grains to produce a flour having an ash content of more than 0.7% by mass and not more than 1.6% by mass, and an emulsifying power of 7 or more as determined by the following steps 1 to 5: Step 1: Put 1 g of wheat flour and 15 mL of distilled water into a 50 mL centrifuge tube and suspend it; Step 2: After the suspension in Step 1, 20 mL of room temperature liquid oil is further added to the 50 mL centrifuge tube and mixed until emulsified; Step 3: After the mixing in Step 2, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is attached to a shaker (TAITEC, SR-2S) and shaken at 300 rpm for 10 minutes; Step 4: After the shaking in step 3, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed in a high-speed centrifuge and centrifuged at 1600 g for 10 minutes; Step 5: After the centrifugation in step 4, the 50 mL centrifuge tube is placed upright in the vertical direction and left to stand until the interface of the emulsified layer becomes horizontal. The volume Y (cm) of the emulsified layer is then measured. 3 ) is measured, and Y is the emulsifying power of the wheat flour.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein all of the ash in the wheat flour is derived from the ash in the raw material dehulled wheat grains.

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