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Abstract
Raw materials used in the food processing industry
must have specific properties for specified end uses.
As specialization of food processing increases and as
new food products are developed, the raw materials
used in producing these food products are less easily
substituted. The following article illustrates how
this trend affects wheat utilization. This has implications
in agricultural policy, marketing, and research.
A lack of recognition of product properties
can lead to loss of export markets, reduced farm
income, and a continued decline in per capita consumption
of wheat products. Economists often are
unaware of product properties. As a result, some
food consumption data include food items within a
group which require different agricultural raw materials.
In this paper an attempt is made to separate
wheat foods according to the types of wheat required
to produce them. While this research relates to
wheat utilization in the domestic market, it has significance
to markets for other agricultural commodities
as well as wheat exports.