World Grain - March 2012 - 59

FEATURE: SOFT WHEAT STUDIES YIELD KEY FINDINGS

In addition to the ﬁndings regarding the ﬁber content of whole grain ﬂours made from soft wheat, the team also found that some soft wheat varieties were better suited for use in whole grain ﬂours. “In soft wheat, it’s a little bit more difﬁcult to make whole grain products, and so we were looking to see if there were genetic variations in soft wheats for whole grain products such that there might be some way to tailor some of the soft wheats that are better suited for whole grains,” Snelling said. “We seemed to ﬁnd some varieties that were a little bit better than others, and we were able to build a model that would predict what series of parameters you might want to make a better whole grain product from soft wheat.” The ﬁndings from the ARS ﬂour studies may help food manufacturers increase the proportion of ﬂour from whole grain in relation to reﬁned white ﬂour food makers currently use. Americans currently under-consume dietary ﬁber. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend 14 grams per 1,000 calories consumed, or 25 grams per day, for women and 38 grams for men. Americans’ usual intake averages 15 grams per day. “This study reveals that consumers might be receiving even more ﬁber from Kellogg products than previously thought,” said Nelson Almeida, Ph.D., vice-president of Global Chemistry, Nutrition and Regulatory Sciences, Kellogg Co. “This is important because less than 1 in 10 American adults and children get enough ﬁber in their diets, and most get about half the amount of ﬁber they need, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine.” Consumption of whole grains has been associated with health beneﬁts. For example, a review of 25 studies published in the British Medical Journal found a high intake of dietary ﬁber, especially from cereals and whole grains, was associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer. Putting more whole grain ﬂours into the foods that consumers buy and enjoy, such as
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crackers and cookies, may be one way to get consumers eating more whole grains and dietary ﬁber. “Studies like this help us continue to meet America’s ﬁber deﬁcit,” Almeida said. “Consumers also need to understand that the amount of ﬁber in whole grain products can vary greatly. They should

of a wheat kernel contains important vitamins such as selenium and B vitamins, for example, according to the ARS. The wheat seed, or germ, also provides B vitamins and healthful fats. The endosperm, which constitutes most of the inside of a wheat kernel, contains carbohydrates and protein.

Another important factor food makers must consider is consumer acceptance. Can food manufacturers make a whole grain product from soft wheat that consumers will accept?

speciﬁcally look for grain or whole grain foods that provide at least 3 grams of ﬁber to help meet their daily requirements without increasing calories.” Food manufacturers may also use the research to buy grains from a certain variety, Snelling said. “It could lead to them looking at the grain that they have coming in and be able to tell fairly quickly if it might be suitable for a whole grain product,” he said. “It would at least allow them to know how to handle it and whether they need to add other materials or other ingredients to the ﬂour to try to overcome inherent weaknesses or whether they can use it as is.” WHOLE GRAIN FLOUR CHALLENGES Whole grain ﬂour comes with many beneﬁts, but reaping those potential health impacts comes with challenges. “Soft wheat is typically used for products like cookies and cakes and pies and sweet goods,” said Kirk O’Donnell, vice-president of education at AIB International, Manhattan, Kansas, U.S. “The reason for it is a lighter texture, and if it’s used in bread it won’t rise high enough. It won’t have enough ability to hold its shape. When you go to whole wheat, the problem gets even worse.” Also, removing the bran and the germ from whole grain takes out some of the nutrients that come with those components. The outer, or bran layer,

“The biggest thing that you don’t get when you go from whole grain to white ﬂour, whether it’s hard or soft, you’re missing the ﬁber and you’re missing a lot of the fat soluble vitamins, such as A, D and E,” O’Donnell said. “Pretty much all the fat is in the wheat germ. However, once the bran is added back into ﬂour, it increases the water retention capacity of the resulting ﬂour. “Usually for soft wheat we like to have a low water retention capacity in the ﬂour,” Snelling said. “Adding the bran makes the product more nutritious, but it also makes it difﬁcult to make the type of products normally made from soft wheat.” White ﬂour may be stored for longer periods than whole grain ﬂour because it is more stable compared to whole grain ﬂour. Another important factor food makers must consider is consumer acceptance. Can food manufacturers make a whole grain product from soft wheat that consumers will accept? “While (consumers) want whole grain products, the current products have a different taste or feel to them,” Snelling said.
Erica Shaffer is online editor for World Grain’s sister publication Meat & Poultry. She may be reached at eshaffer@sosland.com.
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World Grain - March 2012

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