Yihao Classroom
Flour storage
1. Purpose of Storage:
Storing flour is beneficial to both suppliers and consumers. Flour storage offers four key advantages.
1.1 Cost Reduction: In business, larger purchase volumes lead to lower prices, reduced transportation costs, and higher credit limits.
1.2 Improved Flour Quality: Flour requires time to mature; storage provides the necessary maturation time.
1.3 Consistent Quality: Flour is a biological product. While millers strive for consistency, variations remain. Bakers rely on experience and skill to adjust for these variations, requiring pre-testing. Larger storage allows for reduced testing and adjustments, extending product consistency. Flour in the maturation phase is less stable than fully matured flour.
1.4 Guaranteed Supply: Larger stock reduces the risk of shortages and ensures a sufficient supply.
2. Storage Methods:
There are two main flour storage methods: bulk storage and palletized storage.
2.1 Bulk Storage: Primarily used in flour mills or large-scale consumers. This method reduces packaging and transportation costs.
2.2 Palletized Storage: Flour is stored in packages. While more expensive than bulk storage, it offers flexibility and lower initial investment. This is the most common method.
3. Key Storage Considerations:
These points are based on palletized storage.
3.1 Good Ventilation: Flour maturation requires air. This is the "respiration" of flour. Newly milled flour also has a "sweating" period where it releases moisture and heat. Ventilation enhances moisture removal and cooling.
3.2 Dry Humidity: Warehouse humidity is crucial. Flour is highly hygroscopic; high moisture content leads to spoilage and mold. The ideal humidity is 60%-70%.
3.3 Cool Temperature: Flour maturation is closely related to temperature. Higher temperatures accelerate maturation, but excessively high temperatures can damage proteins, increase enzyme activity, and cause abnormal chemical reactions, affecting flour quality. The ideal storage temperature is 18℃-24℃.
3.4 Clean Environment: Flour attracts pests. Maintaining cleanliness reduces pest and microbial contamination. Use a vacuum cleaner to avoid raising dust.
3.5 Odor-Free Environment: Flour readily absorbs odors, affecting baked goods. Store flour separately from odorous items, or in an upstream, well-ventilated location.
3.6 Off the Floor and Walls: Regulations require grain packaging to be off the floor and walls. Benefits include:
1) Improved ventilation for flour respiration and cooling.
2) Easier cleaning of spilled flour.
3) Reduced pest infestation due to better air circulation.
3.7 FIFO (First In, First Out): A warehouse management principle ensuring stability and reducing waste from expiration.
3.8 Pallet Selection: Using pallets ensures off-the-floor and off-the-wall storage and aids handling.
Pallets are made from various materials:
1) Wooden Pallets: Common but susceptible to insect infestation and contamination. Splinters can also contaminate flour bags.
2) Plastic Pallets: Currently preferred, reducing contamination risks.
3) Cardboard Pallets: Rarely used except for single-use transport. They are easily damaged and not durable, especially in flour storage.
To prevent insect infestation, pallets should be regularly sunned to kill any insects.
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Shandong Yihao Food Co., Ltd
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Address: Daqiao Economic Development Zone, Tianqiao District, Jinan City (Yihao Food Industrial Park)