Mill laboratory

View into the mill laboratory of the Hoppenlau School

Muffle furnace for mineral determination

The mill laboratory enables the miller to test the quality of

• Grain
• Milling products
• Feed and feed components

to investigate.

Laboratory tests are absolutely necessary for the miller, as he has to meet legal requirements and quality requirements of the customers. He also wants to know the exact quality of his grain and flour in order to be able to put together meal or flour mixtures.

In order to determine the quality , there are devices that make the examinations easier for the miller. These are in detail:

1. Moisture meter for determining the moisture in grain, flour, etc.
2. Nitrogen determination to determine the protein content (for example according to Kjeldahl or Dumas)
3. Amylograph to determine the starch gelatinization of a flour ( rheological investigation)
4. Farinograph for the water absorption of a flour ( rheological investigation)
5. Extensograph for determining the tensile properties of doughs ( rheological analysis)
6. Muffle furnace for the determination of minerals (this results in the type of flour)
7. Falling counter to determine the amylase activity of the flours
8. Glue washing machine for determining the glue protein that is important for dough formation (gas holding capacity)
9. Sedimentation tester to determine the swelling capacity of proteins in wheat flours
10. NIR devices to perform near-infrared spectroscopy on whole grains or flour (determination of protein content, mineral content)