UNDERSTANDING ORGANIC PRODUCTS
Organic Products are becoming popular now that we are aware of the insecticides used in food production.
Organic products as well as many of our Australian products are produced without insecticides so it naturally contains the eggs of the field moth that lay their eggs in the flowers of the plant. Non-organic products use chemicals to sterilize the flour and this kills the eggs that hatch into larvae and then into tiny flour moths.
These grubs are not maggots from blowflies.
Field moths invade almost all grains and plants with the exception of chick peas that have their own protection in the plant.
The larvae are not harmful although their presence is unpleasant. Flour or products that has hatched insects can still be used if it is sifted and then either heat treated in the oven at 180C for 10 minutes and left to cool in the oven that has been turned off. An alternative method of sterilization is the freezing of the flour for 48 hours after sifting to remove any insects.
It is recommended that you store organic and preservative free flour in refrigeration in humid weather.
Once you have sterilized your product Bay leaves will discourage further infestation.
The treatment of organic flour is time consuming and hence adds to the expense of the flour,
many retailers will not stock organic products because of this problem.
We do try to watch for signs of infestation but the insects often do not hatch until the temperature is perfect for them. We do try to freeze all our organic flour to prevent the problem, however sometimes batches are missed with a large turnover of products.
