How to store flour so that it does not go rancid. What is the storage period? Where to store flour

Storing flour is a hassle only when completely neglected. basic rules And technological features process, despite the fact that the product is quite demanding on environmental conditions. At pathologically high humidity and temperature, its quality noticeably suffers.

The use of inappropriate containers will lead to bugs in the dry composition. To avoid such problems, it is recommended to initially choose the best place in the apartment for storing flour and monitor its quality. It will not be possible to restore a damaged product even by sifting and steaming, it will have to be thrown away.

Basic rules and terms of food product storage

At home, you need to adjust two indicators in order to store flour without fear of spoilage - these are humidity and temperature. The component loves dry rooms, so the humidity should not exceed 70%, it is better if it is at the level of 60%. The temperature must be kept within 10-18ºС. Only in such conditions, bugs will not start in the flour, and signs of mold will not appear.

Wheat flour

Tip: Sudden changes in temperature adversely affect the quality of the flour. You should not constantly carry the entire package with the product from the pantry to the kitchen, it is better to collect it as needed. This is troublesome, but safe for the component.

For safe and full use of the product, you need not only to know how to store flour, but also how much it can be done. If you keep the flour in the refrigerator, in a compartment with a positive temperature, then the indicators will be as follows:

Wheat - about 8 months.
Rye - less than 6 months.
Corn and soy (not deodorized) - no more than 5 months.
Corn and soy (deodorized) - about a year.

As the temperature rises, these figures decrease markedly. If some exorbitant numbers are given on the flour package, then similar product not worth buying.

Corn flour

Features of the choice of containers and rules for the care of the component

Unfortunately, only some housewives pay attention to the form in which flour is stored at home. The rest leave the powder in a paper bag. In this form, the component can only be kept in the refrigerator until the tightness of the package is broken. With opened flour, proceed as follows:

First, dry the composition to get rid of excess moisture and prevent mold. To do this, spread the flour in a thin layer over parchment paper and wait at least half an hour.
Then pour the product into a glass, metal or plastic jar with tight fitting lid.
For a container, a shelf at floor level is ideal, but not on the upper tiers of cabinets.
It is not recommended to keep strongly smelling ingredients near the flour. The dry composition actively absorbs foreign aromas, from which its taste and properties change.

soy flour

From time to time, the component must be poured, dried and checked for traces of moisture so that mold does not appear. If there are bugs in the product, then it is best to get rid of the ingredient, rinse the dirty container, dry it and douse it with steam. Then you need to buy New Product and this time turn Special attention not prevention of the phenomenon.

What should be done to prevent the appearance of insects?

To prevent the ubiquitous ants, bugs and other pests from starting in the flour, it is necessary to adhere to the rules for storing the component and, if possible, use the following recommendations:

insects in flour

You can shift the composition from the usual container into fabric bags. They need to be soaked in brine, which is also an excellent natural preservative.
Some housewives put peeled garlic cloves in a container with a product whose pungent smell repels insects. True, specific notes may be attached to the product.
A good effect is the placement of a container with a component in a bag or bag lined with dried calendula petals.

In addition, there are quite original methods of repelling insects. Since ancient times, long nails were stuck vertically into a container with a dry mass, after which the insects no longer appeared.

Every time before using the powder, you need to check its quality. A spoiled product acquires a sour smell and uncharacteristic bitterness. If the dry composition pulls cold, this indicates an increased moisture content in it. Before use, the mass must be dried on parchment paper, otherwise the result will be unpredictable.

If you're used to stocking up on groceries, learn how to properly store flour. Due to inappropriate conditions, various insects and harmful microorganisms start up in it, which is dangerous to health. We will reveal all the secrets of the correct product saving different types, V various containers so that it does not lose its original qualities.

4 main safety factors

Flour storage conditions must be observed as per industrial productions, as well as at home. Manufacturers focus on 4 aspects:

Air temperature. In the room where flour is contained, the temperature range should be between 5-25 ° C. If the upper limit is exceeded, then the binding qualities of the product will begin to decline. It is acceptable to keep on a balcony or in a cold place, but the temperature should not be below 0 ° C. The main task is to prevent sudden jumps in temperature indicators in order to avoid the appearance of mold or heating.
Humidity. This parameter should not be higher than 70% regardless of temperature. When the air is damp, then any flour quickly deteriorates. Such an environment is favorable for the reproduction of fungi and mold. If, due to fluctuations in humidity and temperature, condensation forms on the container, this leads to dampening of the contents. The smell and gluten of the spoiled product will differ from the original characteristics.
Lighting. Flour should not fall directly Sun rays. An ideal place for storage would be a closet with doors. Warehouses with large stocks should be shaded.
Prevention and protection against pests. This item is affected by all of the above aspects of savings. In addition, if the room is not clean, then pests may well choose it. Also, during long-term storage of spoiled flour, larvae and waste products of insects remain in it.

Do you know that…

Flour is able to absorb surrounding odors, so it is important to observe the correct commodity neighborhood. Detergents, household chemicals, products with a pungent odor should not be stored near bags with flour products.

Types, varieties and expiration dates according to GOST

The shelf life of wheat flour and storage conditions are regulated by the regulatory document GOST R 52189-2003 “Wheat flour. Are common specifications". It says that the shelf life is set by the manufacturer, based on the type and variety. High-quality products retain their properties from 6 to 8 months. The higher the quality, the longer the shelf life.

If we talk about other types of flour, then the content is regulated by GOST 26791-89 “Grain processing products. Packing, marking, transportation and storage. From it it follows that:

properties of rye flour remain unchanged for 4-6 months;
corn and soy non-deodorized - 3-6 months.
soy deodorized - up to a year.

There are many varieties of flour products. It is produced from cereal crops, and from seeds (pumpkin), fruits (chestnut) and dried berries(bird cherry)

What to look for when buying

Package

If you buy flour in a package, then the first thing you need to pay attention to is the marking or label. Often the label is attached to bags, not paper bags.

The marking must contain information:

about the variety;
manufacturer;
date of manufacture;
terms and conditions of storage.

Flour is packed in paper bags or sacks. In any case, the packaging must not be damaged. The quality of the product depends on its integrity. Bags and sacks may become wet or damp if stored incorrectly. It's easy to check. Run your hand over the entire surface packing container. It should be dry, without smudges and diaper rash.

Organoleptic indicators

If we talk about the taste and other qualities of flour, then pay attention to:

Smell. Flour should not smell musty, damp or rotten. A sour smell is a sign of depravity.
Taste. Before buying, it is worth making a tasting of the goods. First, it should not crunch on the teeth. Secondly, if the product is of high quality, then it tastes pleasant and sweet.
consistency or structure. To check flour products, remember them in your hands. If with such a movement you hear a quiet crunch, this indicates her high quality and dryness. If the lump holds its shape after compression, this is a sign that the product is damp.
Color. It must correspond to the type and grade of the product that you purchased. You can check this indicator with a few drops of water. If liquid is added to a handful of flour, then quality product won't change color. If a reddish or bluish tint appears, then the raw material contains bran or immature grains.

What color should this or that variety be?

How to store at home

The storage of flour at home must comply with all the requirements indicated by the manufacturer on the product packaging. It is important to consider several points at once:

humidity and air temperature;
cleanliness of the premises;
choice of container;
accurate control of expiration dates.

It is important for a good housewife to choose the right place and container in which the flour will be constantly contained. If the product lies at home for a long time, then its quality should be checked periodically.

Conditions

To prevent the flour from spoiling, keep an eye on temperature regime and air humidity. The temperature must not exceed 25 °C. The closer it is to 5 °C, the less likely it is to spoil.

If it is possible to place flour in rooms where the temperature is closer to zero, then the shelf life of the product increases. Such an environment can be in the basement, pantry, but it is important to take into account the humidity of the air. It should not be higher than 70%. The higher this indicator, the faster flour will disappear.

Note to the owner

Place

The shelf life of flour directly depends on the room where it is located. At home the best places for her will be:

pantry;
lumber room;
basement;
balcony;
separate wardrobe with lockable doors;
lower shelves, closer to the floor, in the kitchen.

All these rooms should be well ventilated. Air needs to circulate. Additionally, it is recommended to check the humidity parameters.

If you are going to store flour in the kitchen, choose a place close to the floor for it. High temperatures, couples rise to the ceiling, so the top shelves do not fit.

Any grain products should not be exposed to light. It is better to keep the product in a dark place or in a light-tight container.

Tara

Where to store flour? Most often it is sold in paper bags. If you do not have a suitable container to pour the product, then you can leave it in the production paper packaging. The main thing is to carefully close the bag with a paper holder or clothespin. Air and moisture must not get into it.

It is better to pour the flour into a special container for long-term storage. Suitable for this purpose:

linen bag;
tight-fitting plastic container;
glass jar with a lid.

The main thing is that moisture does not get into the product. If the container does not close tightly, then it is important to check the flour from time to time, since pests can start in it.

Tip of the day

Periodically wipe the shelves where the flour stands with a weak solution or laundry soap.

How to store flour so that bugs do not start

Insects at home storage start up if the product is not used for a long time or kept in favorable conditions for bugs.

To prevent the appearance of pests, use the old old-fashioned methods. In a container, put 2-3 cloves of unpeeled per 2-3 kg of flour. It releases flavored substances that repel bugs. Also suitable for these purposes:

dry cloves;
calendula flowers;
Bay leaf.

Place the plants in a gauze piece of cloth and tie tightly so that they do not spill out.

How to recognize a damaged product and what to do with it

Do not use flour that is bitter, has a sour smell, or musty, which appears during long storage. It is dangerous to use such a product for food, because this is a sign of mold.

If there are bugs in the flour, then it is also better to throw it away. If the infected product is sifted through a sieve, then the bugs can be disposed of, but their larvae and excrement will not come out.

Note to the owner

If you notice that the flour is damp, dry it. To do this, pour a thin layer on a baking sheet and place on the bottom shelf of the oven at a minimum temperature for half an hour.

Flour is a product that must be stored in a special container and in a dry place. If the conditions are not met, then the magnificent and fragrant pastries such a product will not work. Spoiled bakery products lose their binding properties, and then you should not expect high-quality muffins, pancakes, pancakes or pizza.

Store properly and be healthy!

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Flour is strategic product, which is in every home and in every family. In the villages, housewives used to say that if there is oil, flour and sugar in the house, any famine can be overcome. And indeed - flour is used by a good housewife almost every day - either it will please the home with pies, or it will bake buns. That is why the flour ends pretty quickly. In such cases, experienced women decide to buy flour for the future. Firstly, flour is cheaper in season, and secondly, you don’t need to carry it every time, and it’s somehow calmer when flour is always at hand. However, another question arises here - how to store this flour?

Where to store flour

Flour can be stored in canvas or paper bags, glass or plastic utensils. If you bought flour in a small package, you can put it in the refrigerator, but only before it is opened. Then it should be poured into an airtight container.

If you plan to remove the purchased flour for long-term storage, it should first be dried. To do this, pour the flour onto a sheet of parchment or a clean tablecloth and smooth it out in a thin layer. After a few days, the flour can be removed for storage. If you are storing a few kilos of flour, put it in a cloth bag or glass jar. If you prefer to have a large supply of flour, then you need to buy bulk plastic container with tight-fitting lid. There is a wide selection of such dishes in hardware stores.

You can store flour in ordinary plastic bottles from under mineral water. They close tightly with a lid and are easy to move around. If you don’t like narrow necks, often bake and ease of access to flour is important to you, you can pour the product into a plastic bucket with a lid. You can also leave a convenient plastic ladle or ladle and a sieve there.

Where to store flour

So, the selected container for flour has been found, but where to leave the flour for storage? It should be a dry, cool room, the humidity of which does not exceed 65%. The air temperature in the storage room should not exceed 18 degrees, otherwise the flour may become moldy and its shelf life is significantly reduced. You should also pay attention to the fact that there are no sudden temperature changes in the room, this often leads to the fact that the flour becomes rancid.

Store flour in a kitchen drawer, pantry, closet, on the mezzanine. Do not forget to ensure that there are no products and products with a strong odor nearby. The fact is that flour is very sensitive to foreign odors, so it should not be stored next to household chemicals, spices and medicines. If you store the flour around detergents, future baking will somehow have a slight smell of soap. By the way, if you store flour in the kitchen, it is better to place the container at floor level, on the bottom shelf. In the upper part of the room, the air is much warmer.

Flour should be checked from time to time for moisture and insect ingress. If the flour has become wet, it must be poured onto flat surface and let dry at room temperature. Taste the flour from time to time so that it does not become bitter. To prevent insects from starting in the flour, you can use some folk remedies protection.

The canvas bag in which the flour will be stored is pre-soaked in saline solution. It is well known that salt is an excellent preservative, it will not allow bugs to get inside the bag. Just dissolve three tablespoons of salt in a liter of water, dip the bag into it and dry it without rinsing.
You can lower a metal object - a coin or a knife into a bag of flour. This will scare off pests and they will not eat such flour. The main thing is that the coin does not get into the baking!
Midges and other insects do not like the smell of calendula and avoid it in every possible way. Dry a couple of sprigs of this plant, place in a canvas bag, or simply wrap in a handkerchief. Then dip the calendula directly into the flour.
You can scare bugs with garlic. Dip a few cloves of garlic in the middle of the container with flour and no pests are afraid of you.
You can drop a few bay leaves into a bag of flour. This will repel insects, but will not give the flour a foreign smell.
In pest control, there are modern ways. Put in upper layer flour a couple of open mint gum. Not a single insect will stick into such flour.

If the insects still managed to penetrate the flour, do not rush to throw away the product. It is enough to simply sift the flour through a fine sieve, dry it and pour it into a new container. If you use the same container, it must first be washed, rinsed with a salt composition, dried, and only then pour the sifted flour.

How long to store flour

Plain Wheat flour stored for quite a long time (if you follow all the storage rules) - up to eight months. Soy flour does not spoil longer - about a year. Rye flour is best used in the next six months. Cornmeal is good for consumption within five months from the date of its production.

Among the tips for storing flour, the following can be noted. Before you pour flour into a plastic container or plastic bottle, make a "salty pillow" on the bottom. To do this, sew a bag from several layers of gauze, pour coarse salt and place in the bottom of the container. Salt perfectly absorbs moisture and protects the flour from dampness.

In ancient times flour was stored in the following way. A large canvas bag of flour was dipped into the water for a few seconds and then quickly removed. A dense layer of dough formed around the bag, which neither rodents nor insects could overcome. Thus, the flour could be stored for years.

If you do not like pastries and rarely bake, there is no point in buying flour for future use. However, if you have big family, if children and you like to mess with the dough, buying flour is very rational and correct solution. Store flour properly to indulge in crispy pastries more often.

Video: how to store flour at home

Flour is stored in warehouses and bases of bakery products, trade enterprises and organizations, warehouses and premises of enterprises Catering, retail trade enterprises. The storage room for flour should be dry, clean, well ventilated, free from grain stock pests, and well lit. In the room where the flour is stored, it is necessary to whitewash the walls at least twice a year.

Flour sacks are stacked on wooden pallets or wooden grates. The stacks are placed separately by types of flour, grades, numbers (for cereals) and dates of receipt.

The height of the stack with cereals and flour depends on the season, storage conditions, type, grade and humidity of the products. Flour with a moisture content of up to 14% is placed in a stack of such a height (number of rows of bags): at an air temperature in the composition of more than +10 ° C - 10 rows, from +10 to 0 ° C - 12 rows, below 0 ° C - 14 rows . Flour with a moisture content of 14-15.5% is put into stacks, respectively, two rows of bags less. Stack height for millet, corn and oatmeal, corn and oatmeal with a moisture content of up to 13 should not exceed 8-10 bags. The height of a stack of products with a moisture content of 13-14% is reduced by two rows of bags.

The optimum air humidity for flour storage is 60-70%. Favorable temperature - from +5 to +15 ° C. For long-term storage, the temperature should be from +5 to -15 ° C.

A sharp fluctuation in air temperature and humidity adversely affects the storage of flour. Flour with high content fat stored for a shorter period of time, e.g. flour wheat second varieties, soy flour, corn, oatmeal. Rye flour also has a relatively short shelf life compared to wheat flour.
Varietal wheat flour is stored for 6-8 months, rye varietal 4-6 months, corn and soy non-deodorized 3-6 months, deodorized soy flour - 12 months. At low temperatures(about 0 ° C and below), the shelf life of flour is extended to two years or more. Flour is stored in bags much better than in consumer containers.

Flour storage is sufficient difficult process, which is divided into two stages. At the first stage, the baking properties of flour improve, at the second stage, the quality of flour deteriorates.

The first stage is called maturation. Freshly ground flour is not used, because it produces low-quality bread (small volume, low yield, etc.), therefore, before use, the flour must be aged under favorable conditions, as a result of which baking properties flour. Maturation, as a rule, is subjected only to baking flour, Rye flour does not change its baking properties in storage, therefore it does not need maturation. The maturation of flour is associated with oxidative and hydrolytic processes in lipids and a decrease in enzyme activity to a certain level. After maturation, the flour becomes lighter. As a result enzymatic oxidation phytin, phosphoric and other organic acids are released, i.e., the digestibility of mineral elements increases.

But most importantly, baking properties are improved by strengthening gluten. This effect is exerted by peroxides that oxidize parts of sulfhydryl groups (-S-H-) with the formation of disulfide bonds (-S-S-) between protein molecules that form gluten. When proteins interact with the products of hydrolysis and fat oxidation, lipo-proteins are obtained that reduce the extensibility of gluten. Thus, if the flour after grinding had a weak gluten, then after ripening, a weak gluten acquires the properties of a medium one, and a medium one becomes strong, a strong one becomes very strong, even a deterioration in quality is possible, for example, very strong gluten, crumbling.

Wheat varietal flour ripens at room temperature for 1.5-2 months, wallpaper 3-4 weeks. Flour intended for long-term storage must be immediately cooled to 0 ° C, then maturation will continue for a year. If flour with weak gluten must be used immediately, then the ripening process can be accelerated up to 6 hours due to its aeration with warm air.

To accelerate maturation, chemical improvers are used, as well as pneumatic movement of flour using compressed, especially heated, air.

Rye flour matures in 2 to 4 weeks at room temperature. It undergoes the same processes as in wheat varietal flour.

Flour is actively used by culinary specialists for cooking bakery products, baking, homemade noodles, test for semi-finished products. If you do not know how to organize the storage of flour, pretty soon you will find that the component is damp or there are bugs in it. What tricks do the housewives go to so that this does not happen. Some of them really give the desired result, others can cause the opposite effect. Understanding everything is not so difficult, you just need to learn a few basic points and provide the product with certain conditions.

Basic rules and shelf life of flour

Flour will remain at home for a long time and will not lose its original characteristics if you take care of the optimal indicators of temperature and humidity in the room:

Maximum allowable level humidity - 70%, optimal - no more than 60%.
The component will not sour and deteriorate if kept at a temperature between 5-18º. The critical indicator is 20º.

Given the fact that it is difficult to withstand such conditions in a kitchen located in an apartment, you should be more careful when choosing a suitable place. Most often, for this purpose, a pantry or closet is used, remote from the stove.

Tip: Slightly damp flour can be dried in the oven, and to prevent bugs from appearing in the product, it is recommended to freeze it in the freezer for several minutes immediately after purchase. These methods are really effective, but their application affects the quality of the product. So they should not be abused.

Housewives who do not think about how to store flour usually also do not pay attention to the expiration date of the product. But they are not as impressive as many people think, and are not calculated in years at all.

Wheat flour of the first or highest grade can be stored at home for no more than 8 months after opening the package. The shelf life of the second grade product is even shorter - about 5-6 months.
The soy deodorized composition will not lose its starting conditions even after a year, while the non-deodorized one will begin to turn sour after 5 months.
Not deodorized corn and rye flour are stored for no more than six months.

The given terms are relevant only if the composition is kept in the refrigerator at a temperature of 0-5ºС. The higher the temperature, the more likely it is that the specified time will be reduced.

In order to achieve maximum results and not be afraid that flour bugs or other insects do not start up in the product, we pay special attention to containers for storing the food component.

Rye and wheat products can be kept in cloth bags or paper bags. Before placing the flour in this container, it should be dried on parchment without the use of artificial heat sources.
Do not keep corn and oat flour in the same packaging in which it was purchased. As soon as the factory package is opened, the contents are poured into a metal or glass jar.
In order to keep a large volume of the product at home without consequences, it is best to put it in pre-sterilized plastic containers.

Dampness and bugs are not the only problems that can be encountered when storing flour. The product actively absorbs ambient odors even through tightly closed lids. For this reason, the mass should be kept on a separate shelf, away from other foodstuffs. From time to time, the composition should be checked, tasted, sieved.

How to prevent the appearance of insects in flour?

To prevent infection of flour with bugs, you need to adopt the following techniques:

Salt is an excellent defense against insects. If bags intended for storing flour are pre-soaked in concentrated salt solution and dried, the risk of bugs will be minimal. You can also cover the contents of a glass, plastic or metal container with such a cloth.
The smell of garlic also repels insects, so you can put a few cloves directly into the flour.
Dried calendula flowers - another effective remedy. True, it is used only if the flour is stored in a paper or rag bag.

There is one more interesting method prevention of the appearance of insects in stocks - several large, pre-cleaned stainless steel nails are vertically lowered into the flour.

Even when all the rules for storing flour were properly observed, at the first sign of problems, it is better to get rid of the product. If the composition is covered with a crust, its color or smell changes, large lumps appear, no methods of mass resuscitation will help. The use of such a component can lead to food poisoning.