Particle size distribution control during wheat milling: Nutritional quality and functional basis of flour products—A comprehensive review

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important food grains worldwide, mainly consumed in the form of wheat flour or flour-based foods. Milling reduces the particle size of wheat grains or wheat endosperm, which strongly affected the physical and chemical properties of wheat flour and subsequent product characteristics. In this paper, the differences in physical and chemical properties of wheat flour due to its particle size distribution, the sources of the differences and the applicability of flour products were reviewed. Furthermore, the modern wheat milling process, the mathematical modelling, and mechanical modification of wheat milling process in recent years were introduced. The research prospect of the influence of milling process on the formation of particle size and quality of wheat flour was put forward.