Miller Magazine Issue: 144 December 2021

73 INTERVIEW MILLER / december 2021 have enough time to supply moisture to the ear. Due to this, incomplete grain filling occurs, and it becomes shriveled and underdeveloped. Also, the high temperatures during crop ripen- ing could affect the falling number, which, due to the heat, can reach up to 400 seconds on some parcels. Regarding such important criteria for wheat quality as bug damage, the situation this year is good and approximately is at the level of the previous one. And what can you tell about Russian wheat quality in season 2021\22? Regarding Russian wheat, the quality is excel- lent again. What is good about Russian wheat is that it usually has stable high wheat quality year- after-year. Also, this year, we see good quality of wheat from other Black Sea region countries like Bulgaria and Romania. Regarding, changing the wheat origin for im- porters – like we see this season on the example of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Algeria – how fast and easy is this process? The quality of wheat defines the flour character- istics and ultimately the quality of the bread. Miller preference often depends on historical patterns. Many millers have got used to a particular wheat origin, which has led to the adoption of a techno- logical map and familiarity. They know how to blend it and they know exactly how to get a continuous stable result, i.e. a flour of the necessary quality. When the origin changes, many questions arise. We in Cotecna step up to provide additional im- portant information and answer questions of the importers\millers on rheological characteristics of wheat, because Ukrainian wheat performs differ- ently than, for example, Russian wheat. Not be- cause it's worse or better, it is just different - dif- ferent grades, different parameters. That’s why you can not just replace Russian wheat with Ukrainian wheat, it needs to have a proper introduction to the target market and necessary technical\technology informational support.