The Farm Home and Kitchen

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 59, Issue 5, 15 November 1939, Page 460

The Farm Home and Kitchen

Contributed by the Association for Country- Education

Brown bread or white bread ? Still the controversy wages. What is your opinion? Read this article and see whether your views coincide with the conclusions reached by the Home Science School and the A.C.E.

TO hear some people talk, one Qt* would think that the sole reason for any physical deterioration in civilised man during the past, century has been caused ,by his eating refined instead of wholegrain cereals. The poor housewife has been warned, on the one hand, that dire things are in store for her and her family unless she changes her family’s eating habits as regards cereals, and, on the other hand, she has been told on good authority to take no notice of this advice, as it emanates from food faddists. In this article it is proposed to put some of the facts before the housewife and so to enable her to form her own ideas of what adjustments might be desirable should she feel that the family diet requires improvement. Two Main Objects In the “wholemeal versus white ? flour” controversy it seems that there are two main questions involved: —

(a) Is there any difference , in the nutritive value of wholemeal and white flour? .... J/ Z (b) Is the average New Zealand diet such that it would be better balanced and made more , adequate in . all

respects if wholemeal were substituted for white flour? ' ' ' It is proposed to deal with this in three . sections, first of all by considering the wheat grain itself and the food products milled from it, then the

composition of these products, and lastly their food value as a part of the “average” New Zealand diet.

The Wheat Grain The grain of wheat, so familiar to us all, is a much more complicated structure than its outward appearance would suggest. The diagram on page 462 shows that from the outside inwards there is first of all the bran (a) consisting of several layers. Next to this is the aleurone layer (b) with its square cells. Inside this again is the endosperm, consisting of starch cells embedded in a fine network of protein. ' At one end of the grain is the embryo or germ (d). Of the total weight of the grain, about 5 per cent, is bran, 8 per cent, aleurone layer, 5 per cent, germ, and 82 per cent, endosperm. As will be explained later, it depends on the, milling process whether commercial bran contains only the bran proper and the germ, and more or less of the aleurone layer. : White flour ; consists of most of the starchy endosperm , of the original grain, with a varying amount of the aleurone layer, which is very rich in protein and phosphorus. Wholemeal flour as defined by the Pure Food Act “shall be the clean sound product of clean sound wheat, and shall contain all: constituents of such wheat. ... It must contain no added substance. Mixtures of flour and bran must not be sold as wholemeal flour.” •■■■■. “Part, wholemeal” flour shall be as above, with “a portion of the bran and germ removed, but containing not less than 60 per cent, of the bran and germ.” “Wholemeal bread” shall be the product of wholemeal, and “brown bread” of wholemeal flour,” ;or . of a mixture of wholemeal and white flour in the proportion of 60 per cent, wholemeal and 40 per cent, white. . : All these points are specifically stated in the Act. However, as regards the weights of wholemeal loaves, there is no legal requirement, as they are classed as “fancy?’ breads arid, as such, do not come under the regulations as ! they are at present constituted. '

Milling the Grain To convert wheat into flour by the roller-milling process the cleaned wheat is passed through a series of rollers. It first passes between corru-

gated rollers which flatten the grain and break out a little of the starchy kernel. This flour is called the “first break,” and is sifted off from the unbroken wheat, which goes on through a second and more closely pair of rollers. This process continues, and at each break more flour is released, as the effect of passing through the rollers is to pulverise the inner floury part (endosperm), to flatten the bran and germ, and to break up the intermediate part or “middlings.” ' . The flour is obtained by. sifting. The bran, etc., is removed from the middlings by suction and other means, and the purified middlings are then ground into flour .by passing through smooth rollers. ..

In large mills there may be as many as 40 or more streams of flour coming from the same lot of wheat as it goes through the mill. These flours have to be blended by the miller, as they are not of the same composition, coming, as they do, from different parts of the wheat grain (endosperm and aleurone layer). The miller aims to produce not merely a well-milled flour, but one which is rich in the essential bread-making proteins “gliadin” and “glutelin.”

“Gluten” These two proteins between them make up “gluten,” which gives dough the tenacity, elasticity, and strength that enables it to stretch when gas

bubbles are formed in it, to hold these bubbles from escaping before cooking, and to keep the bread or other food from “falling” after it has been cooked. Without “glutelin” and “gliadin” in the flour in suitable proportions it would be impossible to have a light and spongy loaf, scone, or cake. There are several other factors which are necessary if the flour is to produce the best loaf, and these the miller also has to regulate, not only by blending the different flours after the wheat has been milled, but by mixing different wheats which have different characteristics. It will be evident that the miller must possess a great deal of expert scientific knowledge as well as elaborate machinery to produce for us the flour which will make the light, upstanding loaf which we have come to take for granted as our standard loaf. This brief description of the milling process has been condensed from textbooks on the subject, but of . necessity much interesting material has had to be left out. It is recommended, however, that anyone having the opportunity to do so should make a point of visiting and inspecting a flour mill in order to gain an appreciation of the miller’s work.

Nutritive Substances

It will be seen that there are more minerals, fat, and fibre or roughage in the bran, the germ, and . the wholenp l ’} an Wh t te +I floU +k The next question is whether these extra amounts of minerals, fat, and roughage make any difference to the nutritive value of the foods which are made from these four wheat products, From the point of view of nutritional value, lime, phosphorus, and iron are

the three main minerals which have to be considered. The four vitamins A, B, C, and D (grouping Bl and B2 as B) have also to be taken into account, and the presence of roughage recorded as being of value in providing the bulk necessary for normal intestinal movements. At the bottom of the page is an analysis of wholemeal and white bread showing comparison of nutrients. To all but a nutritionist these actual weights are of little significance, except

(Sherman’s “Food Products.”')

that they show that compared with w hite bread, wholemeal bread supplies near jy ji. times as much lime, 2| times as much phosphorus, and twice as , .. . .. much iron > and in addition it . supP lies two of tbe four vitamins in good quantities, and one vitamin (B) in very good quantities, whereas white bread contains only a negligible amount of all four vitamins.

Significance All research into the average diets eaten in New Zealand homes shows that in general mcst families consume insufficient amounts of the lime-supply-ing foods, the best of which are milk and cheese. Most people secure phosphorus in ample amounts from the meat they consume, and the meat also supplies a fair amount of the Vitamin B and of iron. In these average diets butter and cream and eggs (yolks) supply a fair amount of Vitamin A and D, but roughage is often insufficient because of the comparatively low amount of fruit and vegetables in the diet. In an accurate study of actual family menus made in the Nutrition Department at the Home Science School, analysis and estimations showed that: (1) All diets met the standards for energy and protein requirements. (2) A high proportion of the total calories were derived from sugar and fats. (3) The amounts of calcium, phosphorus and iron were low. (4) It seems probable that the low calcium and phosphorus content of the diets, together with their high

—Francis Stern, "Applied Dietetics."

sugar content, may have a direct bearing on the poor teeth and high incidence of dental caries in New Zealand. It was also pointed out that only one diet in 12 provided sufficient iodine without the use of iodised salt and other preparations. As regards the vitamins, with one exception all the diets could be considered to contain sufficient amounts of Vitamins A and D. The dietaries would appear to be adequate in 81, but, except for those where milk . consumption is high, would possibly be low in 82.

Typical Diet

Going from the “average diet” to the quite typical diet, in some sections of the community where meat, tea, bread, scones, butter, and jam, or syrup, and other sweet and starchy foods make up the main items of the diet, a very pronounced shortage of lime, roughage, and vitamins is evident. It is obvious that if the “average diet” calls for improvement, still more must these latter diets be improved all round by the increased use of milk, cheese, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. The question then arises whether the substitution of wholemeal flour for white flour and brown bread for white bread would also be necessary to bring them up to the ideal nutritive standard and to raise the “average” New Zealand diet to this standard. On can merely quote the leading nutritional authorities of the world, who, in their report to the League of Nations setting out the optimum or ideally healthy diet, made the following statement under the heading “General Recommendations”:— “White flour in the process of milling is deprived of important nutritive elements. Its use should be decreased, and partial substitution by lightlymilled cereals, and especially by potatoes, is recommended.” Conclusion Reached And now does the housewife know where she, stands? Here is the conclusion that we of the Home Science School and A.C.E. have come to after considering all the facts. We feel that the situation boils down to this: — If New Zealanders actually consumed, all the milk, cheese, eggs, meat, and fruit and vegetables, both raw and cooked, that they needed for optimum

nourishment it probably would not matter to any appreciable extent if they used refined rather than wholegrain cereals. But, as this unhappily is not the case, we think that they should try to increase their consumption of milk and cheese and fruit and vegetables as much as possible, and also, in order to provide a margin of safety, especially in regard to Vitamin B, they should aim at either: — (a) Consuming a liberal serving of wholemeal or other whole-grain product twice daily (for example, wholegrain porridge or other whole-grain breakfast cereal, and wholemeal bread or scones or some such food as the sole or main starchy food at another meal); or (b) using as much wholemeal flour and bread as they do white flour and white bread. Do you agree that this is a fair conclusion?

RECIPES

WHOLEMEAL FRUIT CAKE. Butter, Jib. Wheatmeal, 12oz. Fruit, lib. Peel and nuts to taste. Eggs (well beaten), 4. Sugar, lOoz. Cream of tartar, J teaspoon. Baking powder, J teaspoon. Method.— 1J hours at 325-350 degrees F. WHOLEMEAL SHORTBREAD. Butter, Jib. Sugar, 2Joz. Egg, 1. Wholemeal, Jib. Method. — Cream butter and sugar and add eggs . and beat again. Add wholemeal and work well and roll on board. Bake at 400deg.F. for 15 minutes. PARKIN. Oatmeal, lib. Flour, Jib. Syrup, lib. Brown sugar, Jib. Dripping, 6oz. Soda, J teaspoonful. Ginger, 1J teaspoonfuls. Nutmeg. Warm water, 1 cup. Method— Melt fat and syrup, add dry ingredients, and stir well. (Add

water or milk if too dry.) Pour into a greased tin. Bake in a cool oven two hours. One hour at low and one hour stored heat. Peel or sultanas may be added if desired. (These biscuits are hard and chewy.) NUTTIES. - Brown sugar, Jib. Butter, J cup. Rolled oats, 7oz. Golden syrup, 1 tablespoonful. Walnuts (chopped), J cup. Salt, J teaspoonful. Vanilla, J teaspoonful. Method. Melt butter, add sugar, salt, syrup, vanilla, rolled oats, and nuts. Spread in flat tin and bake in oven 320 deg. F. for three-quarters of an hour. WHOLEMEAL GEMS. Wholemeal, 1 cup. Milk, 1 cup. Butter, 2 tablespoons. Baking powder, 5 teaspoons. . Flour, 1 cup. Egg, 1. Salt, 1 teaspoon. Sugar, 2 tablespoons. Method. white flour, baking powder, and salt and add to other dry ingredients. Then add eggs slightly beaten, milk, and melted butter. Bake in greased muffin tins or gem irons in moderate oven, 20-25 minutes. OATMEAL GEMS. , Cooked porridge, 1 cup. Milk, J cup. Salt, i teaspoon. Baking powder, 4 teaspoons. Flour, 1J cups. Egg, 1. Butter, 2 tablespoonfuls. Sugar, 2 tablespoons. Method. Same as method for wholemeal gems. BRAN GEMS. Clean bran, 2 cups. Baking powder, 3 teaspoons. Eggs (beaten), 2. Raisins (seeded), 1 cup. Salt, 1 teaspoon. Flour, 1 cup. Milk, 1J- cups. Butter (melted), 1 tablespoon. Sugar, J cup. Method. Same method as for wholemeal gems.

Product. Water Protein Carbohydrate Fat Minerals, Roughage White flour . 10.54 11.99 •75.16 1.61 .5 .2 Bran ■ .. : .. 9.99 14.02 59.40 4.39 6.06 6.14 Wholemeal Flour 10.81 , 12.26 71.5 2.24 , 1.02 2.17 Germ .. .. 8.73 27.24 46.49 11.23 4.71 1.6 • ■ ■

The following is an analysis of average (hard) wheat products:—

Quantity Carbohyd. gms. Protein gms. Fat ' gms. : Lime . • gms. Phosph, gms. Iron | gms. Vitamins A. Vitamins B. | C. C. D. D. White bread .. 1 Slice 3?; in. x Wholemeal bread J 3Jin. x IJin. 1 Slice 3 Jin. x16 3 .5 .009 .029 .0003 Negligible Negligible Negligible Negligible Wholemeal bread J 3iin. x liin. 16 - 15.5 3 2.5 .5 .5 _ .009 . .015 .029 .075 .0003 .0006 Negligible Good ■ Negligible Very good Negligible Negligible Negligible Good