Wheat is now grown on a larger surface area than any other commercial crop and has become one of man's staple foods. Originally, wheat was not used to make bread but rather for baby food or porridge. It was not until it was discovered that wheat could be ground into fine flour that bread making was prepared. (Curtis)The ancient Romans were the first to mass-produce wheat, transforming it into flour. To prepare flour, the ancient Romans used baskets made from horsehair or papyrus to sift the grain particles before it could be ground. Then, they used a team of slaves to turn two large stone wheels to grind the grain. It was not until the industrial age that the grain industry used technology to produce massive quantities of grain. Even today, ground wheat is milled and transformed into flour in the same way. The only thing that has changed is that the process has become more computerized and works cleaner. (Trust) Today, after the grain is harvested from the fields, it is taken to the production mills where it is inspected by their quality inspectors. Then the grain goes through the cleaning and purification process. This process begins with separating the grain supplies from the seeds or grains. The beans are now in the first phase of cleaning and purification. The main goal of cleaning and purification is to remove any foreign particles collected from the crop. It may take up to six passes to clean the grain. (Millers Association) Modern technology for cleaning grain is a continuous process from start to finish in a grain milling plant. Once the grain enters the mill, it is first passed through a magnetic separator to ensure that all iron and steel particles are removed. Next... middle of paper... Grain Commission. 15 12 2011 .Curtis, BC Wheat in the world. 12 20 2011 .Farmers, Kansas Wheat Commission and Kansas Association of Wheat. 2012 research projects funded by the Kansas Wheat Commission. 19 12 2011 .Miller Association, North America. How wheat flour is milled. 10 16 2011 .State University, Oregon. Grain Improvements. 11 2 2009. 19 12 2011 .Trust, research on the baking industry. History of wheat and milling. 15 12 2011 .University, Johnson and Wales. Fundamentals of baking and pastry making. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009.