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10 things you never knew about wheat

Tereos transforms many raw materials, including wheat, into starch products (starch and sweeteners), ethanol, and proteins.

  1. Wheat is the second most important crop in the world. It is classed as a “cereal”, meaning that it is a crop cultivated for its grain. There are five main types of grain: soft wheat, durum wheat, rice, corn, and barley.
  2. Cereals are used in animal feed, human nutrition, and starch production.
  3. The first type of wheat, durum wheat, is mainly grown in hot and dry parts of the world, for example in China, where Tereos operates its Dongguan plant in the south of the country. Durum wheat is used in many dishes destined for human consumption.
  4. The second type, soft wheat, can be used as fodder (animal feed), for breadmaking, or as cookie flour.
  5. A major source of plant protein, wheat is rich in starch. It takes about 1.9 tons of wheat to produce a ton of starch. Starch has many properties and can be used as a binder, texturizer, thickener, stabilizer, or setting agent. It is used in both the food sector and in cosmetics.
  6. Wheat starch is made up of glucose molecules. It is therefore also commonly used in the manufacturing of glucose syrups.
  7. Plant proteins are a primary focus of the Group’s innovation in nutrition and health policy. In 2017, Tereos launched a pilot manufacturing unit at its Marckolsheim site (France) for Sauté Végétal, a product based on wheat protein.
  8. Alongside sweeteners and starch, wheat can also be used in alcohol production. It is ground to make flour and the alcohol produced from this is then distilled and purified.
  9. Within the space of 20 years, Tereos has become the third largest player in the European starch market and a leading player in the processing of French cereals.
  10. Tereos Starch & Sweeteners Europe boasts seven wheat starch facilities distributed across Northern and Southern Europe, run in collaboration with its associated partner, the Frandino Group. The wheat supplied to the Tereos Starch & Sweeteners Europe facilities is sourced from across the European Union, but comes primarily from France.