You are here:
Food Engineering/Manufacturing/wheat production
Advertisement
Question
How many meters of wheat crop are needed to produce enough wheat grain to
make a standard loaf of bread?
There is no single answer to the question because it depends on the yield of wheat, often measured in tonnes per hectare, and on other parameters. Values of yield can range from 5 to 15. The snswer also depends on the yield of flour from wheat, often about 85 % and the formula and size of loaf, often about 500 grams. So, one answer, assuming a yield of 8.6 t/ha, 85 % yield of flour from wheat, 18 % moisture in a simple bread loaf weighing 500 grams is .58 square meters of field to give one such loaf.
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
J. Peter Clark
Expertise
How various processed foods are made; ways to improve manufacturing; how to make a new food product.
Experience
Employment history: Research Engineer, U.S.Agricultural Research Service, Associate Professor Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Director of Research, Continental Baking Company, President, Epstein Process Engineering, Inc., Vice Presdent Technology, Fluor Daniel, Inc., Consultant to the Process Industries
Organizations: American Institute of Chemical Engineers (Fellow) Institute of Food Technologists, American Association of Cereal Chemists, American Association of Candy Technologists, American Society of Agricultural Engineers,
Publications: Several Encyclopedias (Kirk and Othmer, Chemical Technology; Food Science, Food Technology and Nutrition; Wiley Encyclopedia of Food Science and Technology; Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems); five books, two book chapters; numerous journals.
Education: BSChE Notre Dame PhD University of California, Berkeley
Awards: AIChE Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Division Award 1998
Clients: Major food processing and pharamaceutical companies.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.