WHEAT GERM IN BREAD

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 September 1940, Page 4

WHEAT GERM IN BREAD

INSTITUTE’S APPRECIATION [per press association.] CHRISTCHURCH, September 19. “I think that the inclusion by the institute’s process of the wheat germ in bread marks an epoch in milling and baking,” said Mr R. J. Lyon, who presided at the quarterly meeting of the Wheat Research Institute to-day. It was reported to the institute that there was an insistent demand for bread in which the germ was included, and the millers are making supplies of germ available as rapidly as possible. The evolution of this new type of bread represents a triumph for the institute, it was pointed out, for the commercial process was developed there in its entirety. Mr Lyon said that something of the same nature had been arrived at in England and America, almost at the same time. From reports received, there seemed to be some suspicion about the introduction of an artificial compound into bread in England, and probably the process there would be found to be not as good as the inclusion of the wheat germ, as was being done in New Zealand. In America the process seemed to involve the drying of the flour, but there it had increased the price of flour by from £2 to £3 a ton. It seemed, too, that the American process would not produce as palatable a loaf as the New Zealand wheat-germ loaf. Mr Lyon emphasised that the recent developments with the wheatgerm bread did not mean that millers had not known that it was an excellent thing to have the wheat germ in the bread, but up to the present time no satisfactory process had been evolved. The inclusion of the wheat germ in the bread was no mere move, to satisfy the desires of food enthusiasts. The development had gone long past that stage. He thought that the institute was to be congratulated on having evolved the new process—one that was entirely new to the world. The director of the institute, Dr. F. W. Hilgendorf, said that some processes, aimed at including the wheat germ in bread, had been in use in New Zealand for some years, but had been protected by patents. The institute had now made the process available to all bakers and so to all consumers. He emphasised that the process did not damage the Vitamin B content in the bread.

It was also stated that the 10 per cent, content of the wheat germ, recommended to bakers, was considered by the institute, after testing, as the right amount. The 10 per cent, wheatgerm » bread contained as much Vitamin B as wholemeal bread. No additional cost to the baker was involved in the purchase of germ.