Method

Glumatic Mixer

1. A 10-gram sample of flour or ground wheat is weighed and placed into the glutomatic washing chamber on top of the polyester screen.

2. The sample is mixed and washed with a 2 percent salt solution for 5 minutes.

3. The wet gluten is removed from the washing chamber, placed in the centrifuge holder, and centrifuged.

4. The residue retained on top of the screen and through the screen is weighed.

Results
• Wet gluten content is determined by washing the flour or ground wheat sample with a salt solution to remove the starch and other solubles from the sample. The residue remaining after washing is the wet gluten.

• During centrifugation, the gluten is forced through a sieve. The percentage of gluten remaining on the sieve is defined as the Gluten Index, which is an indication of gluten strength. A high gluten index indicates strong gluten.

• Wet gluten content results are expressed as a percentage on a 14 percent moisture basis; for example, 35 percent for high protein, strong gluten wheat or 23 percent for low protein, weak gluten wheat.

Why is this important?
The wet gluten test provides information on the quantity and estimates the quality of gluten in wheat or flour samples. Gluten is responsible for the elasticity and extensibility characteristics of flour dough. Wet gluten reflects protein content and is a common flour specification required by end-users in the food industry.