Evaluation of Flour Particle Size Distribution by Laser Diffraction, Sieve Analysis and Near-infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy

Abstract Laser diffraction and sieve analysis were used to measure flour particle size distributions as per cent volume and per cent weight, respectively, among different wheat types and milling methods. Near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy was used to predict the per cent volume of flour particles within selected size ranges based on laser diffraction reference values. According to laser diffraction analysis, 89-98% of the flour particle were distributed within the size ranges 10-41 μm and 41-300 μm, and 2-11% of the particles were distributed within the size range