Chinese flour millers and noodle makers are being persuaded to use more premium Australian wheat for noodles, potentially creating new value for growers.

Currently, Australian wheat exports to China are dominated by Australian Standard White (ASW) for noodles.

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) is working closely with grain buyers in China to help them appreciate the benefits of incorporating higher-quality – and higher-priced – Australian wheat classes for premium noodles.

A recent AEGIC webinar targeting Chinese millers and noodle manufacturers exceeded expectations, with more than 120 people tuning in with interest.

Grains research scientist and project leader Dr Siem Siah said the webinar participants were very interested in the benefits of using premium Australian wheat to enhance noodle quality.

“It was fantastic to see such strong interest from our friends in China,” Dr Siah said.

“Clearly there is strong potential to increase exports of premium Australian wheat to China.

“This kind of ongoing technical support helps end-users maximise the performance of Australian wheat so they will be more likely to purchase from Australia.”

Expert presentations

The webinar included presentations by AEGIC wheat experts Dr Ken Quail and Dr Siah, who spoke about the Australian wheat industry and the specific quality benefits of Australian wheat.

AEGIC wheat expert Dr Ken Quail spoke during an AEGIC webinar about the specific quality benefits of Australian wheat. Photo: GRDC

InterGrain senior wheat breeder Dr Dan Mullan provided details on the potential of Australian Noodle Wheat (ANW), addressing the opportunity to expand market demand for this unique wheat type beyond Japan and Korea. InterGrain senior wheat breeder Meiqin Lu explained targeted breeding for noodles using Australian Prime Hard (APH) as an example.

The webinar included presentations from Chinese stakeholders who spoke in support of using Australian wheat in Chinese products – including Dr Rui Liu from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, Ms Yen Chen from COFCO and Ms Xiaoling Zhou from Kemen Noodle Manufacturing Ltd.

Dr Siah said the project was designed to increase the use of Australian wheat for top-quality Chinese noodles, especially premium classes such as APH, Australian Hard (AH), Australian Premium White Noodle (APWN) and Australian Noodle Wheat (ANW).

“The project also involves collecting timely information on wheat quality requirements as well as market developments, trends and insights,” she said.

“This information helps the Australian wheat industry breed, classify, grow and supply wheat that the Chinese market prefers.”