WHITE BREAD.

Evening Star, Issue 23679, 12 September 1940, Page 8

WHITE BREAD.

As the result of experiments the New Zealand AVheat Research Institute has evolved a new process for the manufacture of white bread containing wheat germ, which is present in wholemeal Hour, but absent from white flour. Jf people ate wholemeal broad, therefore, they would obtain the germ, but white bread is generally preferred, and that explains the efforts that have been made to strengthen its quality. The value of the germ from the point of view of human consumption is that it contains vitamin B, the importance of which as food is stressed by diet experts. In its comments in the latest report issued by the Wheat (Research Institute and presented to Parliament, it is stated that the germ of wheat is not usually included in the flour for the reason that it causes a deterioration in the appearance and palatability of the loaf. During the year the institute discovered a method by which the germ might be cheaply and expeditiously treated in such a way as to allow its inclusion in the loaf without impairing its quality. It was stated that the presence of the germ in the loaf would increase the vitamin content, which is sometimes regarded as deficient, and would secure for human consumption 1 per cent, more of the content of the grain. The process wag provisionally patented in New Zealand to prevent its exploitation. All bakers had been supplied with the formula for the new bread, so that it will soon ho available, presumably, to those who desire to have it in their dietary. In his comments Dr M'Millan pointed out that there was nothing new in adding vitamins to flour or bread, hut there was everything new in adding vitamins or the natural substance containing them in such a way that the palatability and keeping qualities of the bread were not affected. In New Zealand there has been a prohibition on the use of improvers—the addition of mineral salts—in bread, and at the annual conference in 1935 of the North Canterbury Farmers’ Union it was unanimously decided to urge the Government to remove this ban. Improvers, it was declared, were used in many countries of the world, and it was urged that it would bo greatly to the advantage of farmers, millers, and bakers if the New Zealand law was made similar to that of Britain and other parts of the Empire. An argument used for the removal of the prohibition was that the use of improvers would reduce the quantities of hard wheit imported from Canada and Australia. That dobs not apply now, for the reason that the importation of wheat and flour from outside is no longer allowed. Nothing was done, however, to comply with the requests that were made for the removal of the prohibition on improvers, possibly in view of the Wheat Research Institute’s experiments. Apart from this particular phase of its researches the institute is in lino with the practice prevailing in Australia and Canada of striving to breed strains of wheat that are most suitable for the soils and conditions of particular localities. What appears to be the effect of the new process is that those who desire vitamin (B in their bread will be able to obtain it without depending on the wholemeal article. In any case an improvement in the standard of the bread in the way indicated will be a gain to the community as a whole.