World Grain - April 2014 - 62

FEATURE: NoN-wheat flours

rieties of wheat for formulators working on clean-label applications of baked
foods outside the gluten-free range.
Non-wheat flours made from amaranth, brown and white rice, fava bean,
potato, quinoa, sorghum, tapioca, teff
and white bean are used by Penford in
its new PenTech line. "Customers often
look for flours that can add structure to
baked goods without gluten and also
have a mild or pleasant flavor profile,"
Scherer said. To fit exact formulating
needs, these flours may also include
food starches and hydrocolloids to replace gluten's functionality.
Pea, bean and lentil flours attract attention on their own merits.
"With gluten intolerance gaining
recognition, non-wheat grains, specialty grains and beans, peas and lentils have come to the forefront as viable alternatives for wheat," said Tara
Froemming, business development,
SK Food International, Fargo, North
Dakota, U.S.
OptiOns galOre fOr bakers
Shoppers today are much more
aware of baked foods made with variety grains than ever before. This is
notably true for the so-called ancient
grains: amaranth, barley, buckwheat,
emmer, farro, Kamut, millet, quinoa,
spelt, teff and others.
"Ancient grain flours have been continually gaining interest," Froemming
said. "Not only a healthy alternative
to its wheat counterpart, ancient grains
are said to have a more distinctive and
flavorful taste, having remained a purer
grain for centuries."
Growing awareness of the benefits of
specific grains is another factor. "Quinoa
has become particularly popular for its
history, uniqueness, culinary versatility and nutritional value," said Beth
Arndt, PhD, director of R&D, ConAgra
Mills, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. "Also,
amaranth and buckwheat provide highquality protein compared with the cereal
grains, which are limited in lysine."
Many qualify as gluten-free. "They
give baked foods a lot of 'play' because
62

of the popularity of gluten-free," said
Susan Kay, manager, product applications, Bay State Milling.
Caremoli confirmed such interest and
said, "The ancient grains are important
because of good taste and higher protein
as in spelt and higher calcium as with
quinoa."
Barley, among the oldest grains
cultivated by man, took a major step
forward when conventional breeders
developed a high-fiber barley variety.
It contains 12% beta-glucan, provides
three times the amount of fiber found
in oats, and is at least 30% total dietary fiber overall.
The new barley, the basis for
ConAgra Mills' Sustagrain line, also
has a beneficial starch profile, according to Arndt.
"It has about half the starch content
of other grains. Viscous beta-glucan
fiber and waxy starch have each been
shown to impart fat mimetic properties
in baked goods."
When substituted for 10% of the formula's flour, this barley flour improves
bread crumb softness during storage.
rye ready fOr renewal
Outside the Northeastern U.S. and
limited metropolitan markets, rye bread
is a hard sell. That may change as word
gets out about rye's health benefits,
now supported by a substantial body
of science. Plus, a new whole grain rye
flour may change the way bakers use
this grain.
Consumers could reap big health-andwellness benefits if they would eat more

rye breads, according to the Nordic Rye
Group, a coalition of Scandinavian bakers, cereal researchers and university cereal science programs formed in 1944.
Scientific research reveals rye's potential to reduce risks for heart disease, cut
insulin response, alleviate metabolic
syndrome and fight inflammatory factors. The group summarized this research in its recent "Rye and Health"
white paper.
"There's always interest in rye," Ms.
Zammer said, "but as a flavor, it has a
strong association with caraway, which
can be a polarizing flavor. Rye received
a lot of attention from the artisan market
because it is a component in many Old
World levains and bigas. It needs to go
mainstream."
Bay State introduced a rye flour that
can do the job. "This is actually a whole
grain flour, not the refined or coarse
rye," Zammer explained.
Its optimized granulation improves
its functionality in bread, where it
works well in combination with whole
wheat flour. "It demonstrates the ability of rye to suppress off-notes sometimes associated with whole wheat, and
it proves that rye breads don't always
have to taste like typical German rye,"
Zammer said.
COlOr, flavOr, fiber frOm COrn
Bakers' interest in whole grain corn
flour has increased in the past year, according to Jeff Casper, R&D manager,
Horizon Milling, Wayzata, Minnesota,
U.S. He noted that this non-wheat
flour adds new colors, textures and
flavors to foods.
"Corn bread is the traditional use for
corn flour," he said. "But now corn flours
are being pulled into new categories."
The company made prototypes of
pasta, pan breads, baking powder biscuits and even cookies with its Cargill's
Maizewise corn flours. Consumers
particularly liked the caramel corn and
kettle corn cookies. In blueberry "morning glory" muffins, corn flour delivered
a desirable slightly sweet flavor.
"Sensory work on items has been very
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World Grain - April 2014

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