Influence of wheat meal variability upon compacting behaviour during pelleting

The influence of wheat meal variability on its compacting behaviour has been studied. Seventeen samples of wheat, identified according to their origin and their supplier, were ground in the same conditions and characterised both by near-IR reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and a compression test. The NIRS technique was used to determine the chemical and particle size variability. A laboratory press was used to characterise the compacting behaviour of the meal. The study of the relationships between the variability and the compacting behaviour of the wheat meals has been performed by using a multivariate statistical treatment called canonical correlation analysis (CCA). The only chemical information that was highlighted by CCA was the water content. The water improved the meal compression by decreasing the force corresponding to the yield point of plasticity. The water influence has been observed from a low variation range of the moisture content (from 11 to 12.8%). Difference in particle size had no significant effect on the compacting behaviour.