Wholemeal bread

Ascorbic acid is the only improver permitted in wholemeal bread in the UK. To produce loaves of the density now popular with the consumer normally involves the selection of high protein flour, fortification with dried gluten and inclusion of an emulsifier in the recipe. 

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Haglund A, Johansson L and Dahlstedt L (1998) Sensory evaluation of wholemeal bread from ecologically and conventionally grown wheat . Journal of Cereal Science, 27, 199-207. 

Current British fortification of bread and flour is restricted to fortifying white and brown flour and bread with those materials that would be present in wholemeal bread or flour. 

The regulations specify which flour treatments can be used in bread and flour and in which circumstances they can be used (Table 1). One obvious anomaly is that ascorbic acid is permitted in wholemeal bread but not in wholemeal flour. 

Some parts of the bakery industry are in a different situation to others regarding nutritional pressure. The parts of the industry that make bread are largely in the clear. The composition of bread is controlled anyway and bread in moderation is regarded as a healthy staple food. There are those who claim that the general population would be healthier if they ate wholemeal rather than white bread. Well, the industry makes wholemeal bread and the customers are free to buy it. If they choose not to it has to be their fault. The only nutritional pressure regarding the composition of bread has been over the amount of salt added, which the industry has agreed to lower. 

An overdose of malt flour will introduce too much enzyme activity in the dough, potentially reducing the product to a sticky syrup. Fungal a-amylase is now much more commonly used than malt flour. However, some malt flour is still used, particularly in wholemeal bread. 

While any type of flour can be made in a wholemeal form some products probably can not be made from wholemeal flour. The problems are that although all the wheat protein is present the quality of the protein is lower towards the outside of the wheat berry. This effect would render the making of products requiring very high extensibility, e.g. filo pastry, very difficult. The other problem is that the bran particles tend to burst gas bubbles, reducing the amount of lift. Despite the above, wholemeal bread flour is common and wholemeal self raising flour can be made. 

Bakers tend not to like wholemeal bread flour because it is less reliable in performance than white flour. One reason for this is the restrictive legal position on flour improvers, which makes the dough less tolerant. In addition, when a wholemeal flour is made in a roller mill, all the flour components that the mill has separated have to be recombined at the bottom of the mill. If a spout blocks temporarily one component will be held back. If this sort of problem leads to an excess of white flour then the flour will bake well, if a local excess of bran occurs then baking performance will suffer. 

Claims are made about the health benefits of eating wholemeal bread. These claims are in regard to gastrointestinal health and cardiovascular disease. There does seem to be some truth in these claims. 

The situation with wholemeal flour is refreshingly simple. Flour treatments are banned and there are no statuary additions. The addition of ascorbic acid to wholemeal flour is forbidden but the use of ascorbic acid in wholemeal bread is allowed. Presumably, it was thought beneficial to allow the change so that the Chorleywood plants could make wholemeal bread. The ascorbic acid presumably goes in as an improver with other ingredients. 

Brown and wholemeal bread are generally made in a similar way to white bread except that a higher level of fat is normally used, e.g. 1.5% of the flour weight as fat, compared with 1 % for white bread. In making wholemeal or brown bread by the CBP process the fat level must be raised. It is only possible to make wholemeal bread by the CBP because... 

In general wholemeal bread is made with shorter fermentation times than white bread. As wholemeal flour has a higher water absorption than white a higher water addition can be used. 

Demand for wholemeal bread has increased in recent years, presumably on the basis of the health benefits. However it is made, wholemeal bread is unlikely to expand as much as white bread since the bran particles tend to burst the gas bubbles. The wholemeal bread that has the greatest expansion is that produced by the CBP process. This product is the nearest to a wholemeal loaf with the texture of white bread. 

A larger proportion of wholemeal than white bread is still made by bulk fermentation methods. One reason for this is that although old fashioned wholemeal bread is a minority taste the minority who consume it like it that way. They like the close texture and flavour of the traditional product. 

A problem with vegan diets is whether they can provide snfficient protein and some micronntrients. Foods recommended are whole grains and grain prodncts e.g. wheat, millet, barley, rice, rye, oats, maize, wholemeal breads and pastas) pulses and products made from them (e.g. peas, beans, lentils, tofu) fresh vegetables (including green leafy vegetables and salads) fresh and dried fruits nuts seeds (e.g. sunflower, sesame and pumpkin). 

Absorption from white bread alone averaged 38%. Zinc absorption from other meals varied from an average of 8% from wholemeal bread to 36% from chicken (19, 20). 

Reinhold et al. Unleavened wholemeal bread Became negative with wholemeal... 

Bran is the residue left when flour is made from cereals it contains between 25% and 50% of fibre. The fibre content of a normal diet can be increased by eating wholemeal bread and bran cereals but over-zealous supplementation may cause troublesome wind (from bacterial fermentation in the colon). 

The problem appears to be constipation aggravated by emotional and dietary issues. It should improve as the child settles into school and if she is encouraged to eat a diet increased in fibre, wholemeal bread instead of cereals, with more fruit and vegetables. If the new diet is accepted there should be an improvement in symptoms. The mother should be advised to take the child to the doctor if there is no improvement after two weeks. 

Manufacturing processes can result in a substantial loss of the vitamin for example, during the milling of whole wheat to white flour, 75% of the folate is lost (B8). Bread was found to contain more folate than the flour fixim which it was made and this was due to the effect of the added yeast. Folate deficiency has been found to be relatively uncommon in Iran and this prompted Russell (R8) to measure the folate content of various Iranian breads since bread is the staple food in that country. They found village wholemeal bread to have a free folate concentration of 340 M.g/kg and leavened breads made... 

Wholemeal bread (makes three loaves) Ingredients... 

Chromium Metabolism of sugar Adult onset diabetes Yeast, black pepper, liver, wholemeal bread, beer 0.12... 

The spectrum of the constituent sugars is characteristic for various types of plant NSP and may indicate the origin of the NSP measured. The values for wholemeal wheat products are characterized by high levels of insoluble NSP in the form of cellulose (measured as insoluble NSP glucose) and arab-inoxylans. Wholemeal wheat NSP are fermented slowly and incompletely, and exert a considerable effect on fecal bulk. White bread contains only 30% as much NSP as wholemeal bread, and this NSP is... 

J. G. Reinhold, B. Faradji, P. Abadi, and F. Ismail-Beigi, Binding of 2nc to Fiber and Other Solids for Wholemeal Bread in Trace Elements in Human Health and Disease, Vol. I, Zinc and Ctqiper (A. S. Prasad and D. Oberleas, eds.). Academic Press, New York, 1976. 

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