It is a challenge to organic farmers, millers and bakeries to fulfil consumer expectations of providing healthy and safe products without impairing yield performance. The quality of organic grain can be modified by agronomic conditions such as crop management, crop rotation, and soil fertility. Therefore, food processing technologies as the post-harvest handling of the grain and the flour processing are also key factors in producing bread of high nutritional value without contaminants. This project focuses on the optimization of agronomic practices and grain fractionation processes in order to obtain wheat and flour with improved nutritional value, health and sensory characteristics.

The overall objective of the project “AGronomical and TEChnological methods to improve ORGanic wheat quality (AGTEC-Org)” is to identify agronomical and food processing technologies that enhance the baking quality and the nutritional value of organic wheat and reduce mycotoxin contamination. Specific objectives are to:

• Evaluate the current practices for organic grain wheat production and flour-processing in Europe,
• Improve crop management strategies to enable bread-quality wheat to be produced on organic farms with and without livestock,
• Develop optimal post-harvest treatment to prevent mycotoxin contamination and enhance bread making quality and nutritional value,
• To generalise results from experiments in order to enhance farm management strategies in diverse climates and soil types.