Smell apples and cinnamon in your flour? It's probably not just the wheat.

Wheat berries face plenty of adversity in the field.

I opened a bag of Lang spring wheat recently and was blown away by the aroma. And because it was apples and cinnamon flavors I assumed it was a good thing. I’d tasted bread before that had these characteristics so I thought - this is my moment…. But, the next bag didn’t have that same aroma. So, that seemed suspicious. It couldn’t really be just the flavor of the wheat or some other plant growing with the wheat because it was so isolated from bag to bag (I found 3 more 50lb bags with the aroma).

Folks I rely on routinely for advice and who have seen lots of grain grown in the Northeast where humidity and rain during summer are not in short supply told me that when they smell cinnamon - they strongly suspect a fungus is present. And, researchers at UVM agreed with this note:

Microorganisms, including some funguses, are known to produce a range of acids, esters, and aldehydes that produce a wide range is sensory effects including fruity (apple - ethyl malonate for example) and brown spices.(such as cinnamon cinnamaldehyde). So, it is possible that it is a fungus related effect. 

In and of itself it may not be toxic but there are mycotoxins that can come along with the fungus so it needs to be tested. I sent a sample of my Lang wheat off to a lab to be tested for mycotoxins (if curious what they test for - this is the form — essentially toxins that come along with fungal infections).

This is something I didn’t even consider when I hopped into milling. I was so focused on the tension between the stones and the speed I was feeding the grain tuned to the hardness of the grain. But the more you bake with fresh flour, the more variation you see - with causes that link back to growing or storage conditions.

I’ll update the post when I get my test results back from UVM. But, my hope is to learn more about the fungus and potentially experiment in the future to safely develop these flavors by inoculating grain in a controlled way. In the meantime, the nice smelling grain is in a tub and won’t go into the mill.

Here are a few issues that can arise from the field to the mill….

1. Sprout Damage:

   • Cause: If wheat berries are exposed to moisture and favorable temperatures just before harvest, they might begin to germinate or sprout.

   • Effect: This reduces the quality of the grain and can lead to elevated levels of alpha-amylase, which affects flour quality (it can break down really quickly during fermentation)

2. Fungal and Mold Contaminations:

   • Examples: Fusarium head blight (also known as scab), ergot, and black point.

   • Cause: Fungal infections can result from prolonged exposure to moisture, especially during flowering or in storage.

   • Effect: These fungi can reduce grain quality, cause discoloration, and produce mycotoxins which are harmful when consumed.

3. Pest Damage:

   • Examples: Weevils, grain borers, and aphids.

   • Cause: Pests can infest the grain either in the field or during storage.

   • Effect: They can consume and damage the grain, reduce its weight, and introduce contaminants.

4. Heat Damage:

   • Cause: This can occur if the grain is dried too quickly at too high a temperature.

   • Effect: The grain becomes hard, discolored, and is not suitable for milling as it can produce a darker flour.

5. Shrunken and Broken Kernels:

   • Cause: Drought stress, pest damage, or poor post-harvest handling.

   • Effect: These grains have a lower milling yield and can affect flour quality.

6. High Moisture Content:

   • Cause: Insufficient drying post-harvest or exposure to moisture during storage.

   • Effect: Increases the risk of mold growth and grain spoilage, making the grain unsuitable for milling.

7. Toxin Contamination:

   • Example: Deoxynivalenol (DON) produced by Fusarium head blight.

   • Cause: Certain fungal infections.

   • Effect: Can pose a health risk when consumed, so grains with elevated toxin levels are unsuitable for milling.