Bleaching control test is an analysis process applied to wheat flours to determine whether or not bleaching is performed in these flours. During this experiment, the sample taken from wheat flour is dissolved in petroleum ether and compared with another sample which has not been bleached. Flours with color bleaching will be lighter than flours known to have not bleached.

Flour is milled to remove the bran inside to give a lighter color. However, white flour of the desired quality cannot be obtained. Therefore, some chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide, chlorine and acetone peroxide were added to bleach the flour. But thousands of flour mills and small-capacity mills It is not possible to control the amount added to the flour. The most widely used flour bleaching chemical in America is benzoyl peroxide.

Bleach control tests are performed in authorized laboratories by using precision scales and devices. The petroleum ether used in the experiment is not actually related to ether. It is thought to have been given this name because it is a volatile substance like ether. Petroleum ether is a mixture of hydrocarbons derived from petroleum.

If the bleaching control tests, which are among the physical analyzes performed within the scope of food analysis, are performed in laboratories accredited according to the TS EN ISO / IEC 17025 standard from domestic and foreign accreditation organizations, the results are obtained more impartially and reliably.

These laboratories comply with the accepted test methods and test criteria, follow scientific researches and apply the standards published by local and foreign organizations in their studies. Bleaching control tests are also based on the following standard:

• TS 4500 Wheat flour

This standard covers wheat flours produced by mixing or separately produced from triticum aestivum, triticum compactum and triticum durum wheats. However, it does not include enriched wheat flour.