ANNEX ISupplementary provisions
ANNEX I In the specification for the protected designation of origin ‘Pagnotta del Dittaino’, the following amendment is approved: 1.1. Method of production — Bronte, Iride and Sant'Agata have been included in the group of varieties that should make up 70 % of the flour used. This amendment is required on account of the inevitable process of change in the wheat cultivated as varieties certified by the competent bodies in Sicily and beyond and that are adapted to the Sicilian environment and particularly suitable for bread-making and the general farming environment are more available to farmers and to the sector. The amendment is therefore aimed at encouraging farmers to source certified seed among the most widespread varieties locally. — Flour from all the durum wheat varieties listed in the national register may now be used, within the limit of 30 % of the total flour. This amendment is based on the producers' request to also use other varieties resulting from scientific research and suitable for bread-making for the production of ‘Pagnotta del Dittaino’. Furthermore, widening the range of varieties is also necessary to overcome the difficulties of using certain varieties that are difficult to find because they are no longer cultivated. — As regards the description of the characteristics of the durum wheat and of the various flours, the mathematical symbol for the chemical parameters for durum wheat and flour has been changed from > to ≥ and from < to ≤ as appropriate. This amendment takes into account the results of analyses of the ingredients used to produce the pagnotta but does not affect the characteristics of the ‘Pagnotta del Dittaino’ as the wheat and flour included have qualities that are very close to the current limits. — Variation of the yellow index value from > 17b minolta to ≥ 14 b minolta. Studies carried out in the context of ‘Experimentation at national level’ into durum wheat varieties demonstrate that in Sicily average yellow index values stand at 16 (value for whole wheat flour), which is much lower than the initial estimates. The value 14 is the level with which all the varieties used to produce ‘Pagnotta del Dittaino’ comply. — It has been decided to remove some chemical parameters with regard to which flour must be used to produce the ‘Pagnotta del Dittaino’ so as to facilitate matters for the producers and limit the costs of chemical analyses. Specifically, the parameters for gluten, the yellow index, absorption, rising times, stability and the degree of softening have been removed. Some of these parameters (absorption, rising times, stability and the degree of softening) require specific equipment which entails significant costs and requires the availability of laboratories equipped with qualified staff, while the parameters for gluten and the yellow index are directly related to the protein content, therefore determining them is superfluous. — As regards the falling number (F.N.), the current specification stipulates a value below 480 seconds. The amendment inserts a range of between 480 to 800 seconds so as to ensure balanced amylase activity and in all events above 480. This amendment excludes the use of flour with values below the limit established and for which specific studies have discovered defects in the crumb (glutinosity) and in the sponginess (irregularities). — A range has been introduced with regard to the quantity of salt. The quantity of salt required does in fact vary depending on the quantity of water in the dough and the type of salt used. — The rising and baking times have been changed to optimise the production process depending on the size of the pagnotta. — Greater flexibility has been introduced into the time allocated to each individual production phase so as to facilitate the production process. 1.2. Other: Updated legal references The legal references have been updated.