EPOCH IN BAKING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 224, 20 September 1940, Page 3

EPOCH IN BAKING.

' WHEAT GERM IN BREAD. INCREASED PUBLIC DEMAND. CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday. "I think the inclusion of the institute's process of 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. It was reported to the institute that there was an insistent demand for bread in which the germ was included, and millers are making supplies of the 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 something of the same nature had been arrived at in England and America almost at the same time. From a report 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 aa the New Zealand wheat-germ loaf.

Mr. Lyon emphasised that recent developments with wheat-germ bread did not mean that millers had not known that it was an excellent thing to have wheat germ in bread, but up to the present time no satisfactory process had been evolved. The bread was no mere move to satisfy the desires of food enthusiasts. The development had gone long past that stage. He thought 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 some processes aimed at including 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 bread. It was also stated that the 10 per cent content of wheat germ recommended to bakers was considered the right amount. Ten per cent wheat-germ bread contained as much vitamin B as wholemeal bread. No additional cost to the baker was involved in the purchase of the germ.— (Press Assn.)