Milling & Baking News - February 15, 2005 - 21

DAIRY MANAGEMENT INC.

tein to their grain-based foods may turn to
protein isolates and protein concentrates
made from whey, soy and wheat. All these
forms of protein may work together, too.
"We don't view dairy protein and grain
products as competitors," said Stephen
Dott, vice-president of Grande Custom
Ingredients, Lomira, Wis.
Mr. Dott said that while his company's
whey protein ingredients contain a high
amount of amino acids, they do not have
the level of fiber found in grains.
Main Street Ingredients, La Crosse, Wis.,
offers wheat protein isolates and gluten,
soy protein powders, egg albumin and
a range of dairy protein powders. The

Whey protein might be a good investment for food manufacturers wanting to offer specialty
bars and snacks.
ingredients may be used alone or in combination to enhance protein levels of grainbased foods, said Jill Rippe, director for
technical sales support, Main Street.

Proteins boost wheat quality
greenhouses and then separated metabolic proteins
from one another in the laboratory.
The research identified more than 200 wheat-kernel
proteins and grouped them by the task they are likely to
perform. These tasks ranged from storing carbohydrates
to protecting the kernel against insects.
The researchers called their work "proteomics," or
the study of function, structure and location of proteins.
They are compiling a catalog of wheat-kernel proteins
called a "proteome," which is similar to a "genome," a
directory of genetic material in a plant or animal.
They hope their findings may be used to breed better
wheat plants in the future, thus leading to higher quality
wheat flour.

A wheat kernel is made up mostly of
starchy endosperm.

22 / Milling & Baking News, February 15, 2005

Low-carbohydrate niche remains

U.S.D.A. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE

While proteins are vital to the health of humans, they
may improve the quality of wheat, too.
Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture already
know quite a bit about the gluten proteins inside
wheat. Recently, they focused on learning more
about the grain's metabolic proteins. Although
these proteins occur in smaller amounts, they are
essential to a kernel's growth. Wheat plants need
metabolic proteins to form gluten proteins and
make starch.
Scientists at the A.R.S. Western Regional
Research Center's Crop Improvement and Utilization
Research Unit at Albany, Calif., grew wheat plants in

U.S.D.A. plant physiologist Bill Hurkman
harvests a wheat head from plants grown
inside a greenhouse at the department's
Agricultural Research Service facility at
Albany, Calif.

Protein may enhance the volume of
bread, build firmer texture in pasta and
create higher nutrition value to grainbased foods, said Ody Maningat, Ph.D.,
vice-president of application technology
and technical services for MGP Ingredients, Atchison, Kas.
"Cookies adapt easily to higher protein
content," Ms. Rippe said. "It is a clear gain
in nutritional value when you replace a portion of the high-glycemic sugars and starches
with alternative sweeteners and protein."

Low-carbohydrate applications have
not disappeared either.
"Although we see some slowdown on
low carb, I feel that it will find its own
niche category," Dr. Maningat said.
Ms. Rippe noted, "Requests for low-carb
grain-based foods are all but gone; however, requests for protein-enhanced grainbased foods are coming in. The difference is
the focus on enhancing the nutritional quality of the food for protein-conscious market
segments in fitness and health areas."
Food manufacturers will need to charge
more for protein-enriched items because
ingredient costs will run higher than for
standard formulations.
"Functionality of the dough and acceptable finished product texture and flavor are
the biggest challenges," Ms. Rippe said. "Additionally, there is the often unanticipated
surprise in the increased cost of the product.
You are replacing inexpensive ingredients
with more expensive ingredients."

Whey investments
Whey protein offers the advantages of
a clean, slightly milky flavor that does
not negatively affect the taste of a finished
product, Mr. Dott said.
"It's a nice flavor to work with," he
said of whey protein. "You don't have to
mask it."
In addition, whey proteins have the highbakingbusiness.com/world-grain.com

http://www.bakingbusiness.com/world-grain.com

Milling & Baking News - February 15, 2005

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