Carry out testing for quality control in milling

URN: IMPMC104
Business Sectors (Suites): Milling and Cereals
Developed by: Improve
Approved on: 01 Jan 2019

Overview

This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed for you to carry out testing for quality control in milling. You need to follow relevant policies and procedures that apply to your area of work and report on the quality of work activities against specifications. You need to organise work to meet schedules and targets, and make effective use of resources. You also need to identify, record and report any problems affecting the volume of throughput. You will contribute to identifying opportunities for improving food and drink operations. You will identify improvement opportunities by suggesting ideas and contribute to developing an action plan. You will need to understand how to test raw material e.g. wheat, on delivery, which will then be milled into another product e.g. flour. You need to know about testing procedures and the controls in the testing process; what procedure should be followed if there is a nonconformance found on testing; how to prepare products for testing; and how to record test results. You will also need to understand laboratory tests on wheat and flour that are crucial to the quality of the final product. You will need the technological understanding of routine tests and procedures that are required to make sure wheat and flour reach a specified standard. You will also need to know how to interpret the results of these tests. This standard is for you if you work in food and drink manufacture and/or supply operations and are involved in testing of raw material for milling carried out at or around the point of delivery.


Performance criteria

You must be able to:

  1. check that there are sufficient resources available to complete

    testing activities within your own area of responsibility

    1. check that testing equipment is working effectively

    2. carry out testing in accordance with current legal and regulatory

    requirements for hygiene and environmental standards or

    instructions

    1. monitor work activities to meet testing requirements and to identify

    any variances against specifications

    1. complete all relevant testing and report as appropriate

    2. handle, store and dispose of materials in accordance with

    organisational requirements

    1. report all variances outside of specification to relevant person(s)

    2. identify and report opportunities for improvement of work activities

    to relevant person(s)

    1. identify implications of changes to make sure that the change is

    documented

    1. gather information about potential improvements

    2. identify and make positive suggestions about areas for

    improvement

    1. share your ideas for improvement with the relevant people and

    react positively to feedback you receive

    1. communicate your finalised ideas in sufficient detail to enable

    further action to be agreed

    1. work with others to agree an action plan for putting improvement

    ideas into action

    1. make a positive contribution to putting the plan into action

    2. test and check improvements to find out how effective they are

    before recommending further action

    1. evaluate the effectiveness of improvements that have been

    introduced

    1. access information from appropriate sources to support your

    report and recommendations

    1. communicate recommendations to relevant people

    2. complete records in accordance with organisational requirements


Knowledge and Understanding

You need to know and understand:

Test incoming raw materials for milling

  1. what the purpose of testing raw material used in milling is

  2. the basic methods used for testing in milling

  3. what the procedures are for testing

  4. how to check the testing equipment is working properly

  5. how to use the testing equipment

  6. what the operational and regulatory requirements are for testing

    product quality

  7. what the health and safety requirements and procedures for

    testing are

  8. what the controls are in the testing process

  9. why raw material is tested in controlled conditions

  10. what the procedures are in cases of non-conformance

  11. how and where to record test results and how to generate

    relevant reports on quality trends

    Wheat and wheat flour laboratory testing

  12. what the legal or regulatory requirements, the organisational

    health and safety, hygiene and environmental standards and

    instructions are and what may happen if they are not followed

  13. what routine tests are carried out on wheat and flour and their

    purpose

  14. how to carry out initial sample appearance tests and what this

    indicates about the consignment

  15. how to measure sample purity and the significance of this

  16. how to measure moisture content, including oven test, and its

    significance

  17. how to establish how much of the protein content of wheat is

    functional gluten protein, how this is measured, and factors which

    affect protein quality

  18. how to establish protein content and quality

  19. how to measure hardness of wheat, including by single kernel and

    Stenvert test, and why this is significant

  20. what the Hagberg falling number test measures, how to carry it

    out and its significance

  21. how to measure the specific weight of wheat, including by Kern,

    what affects it and its significance

  22. what information variety identification provides and how it is

    carried out

  23. how to carry out reference tests on wheat and flour

  24. how to test protein and moisture in flour by NIR including starch

    damage, ash, colour, water absorption and Hagberg falling

    number


Scope/range


Scope Performance


Scope Knowledge


Values


Behaviours


Skills


Glossary


Links To Other NOS


External Links


Version Number

2

Indicative Review Date

01 Jan 2024

Validity

Current

Status

Original

Originating Organisation

Improve

Original URN

impqi107s, impmc104k, impmc105k

Relevant Occupations

Elementary Goods Storage Occupations, Elementary Process Plant Occupations, Food Preparation Trades, Manufacturing Technologies

SOC Code

8111

Keywords

Food; Drink; Manufacturing; Milling; Health; Safety; Testing; Quality