WHEAT GERM IN WHITE BREAD

Southland Times, Issue 24229, 12 September 1940, Page 8

WHEAT GERM IN WHITE BREAD

Misconceptions About Purpose MANY ADVANTAGES OF N.Z. PROCESS (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 11. The reception by the Press and interested individuals had been very gratifying, and much useful criticism had been received, said the Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research (the Hon. D. G. McMillan) referring to the new process evolved by the Wheat Research Institute for the manufacture of white bread containing a wheat germ. The Minister added that it was apparent from some inquiries received that there were some misconceptions about the nature and purpose of the process and the steps being taken to put it into practical operation. The novelty of the Wheat Research Institute’s, process had been questioned. There was nothing new about adding vitamins to flour or to bread but there was everything new about adding vitamins or a natural substance containing them in such a way that the palatability and keeping qualities of the bread were not affected. Wholemeal flour contained a wheat germ, but bread made from it was unpalatable to many people. The Morris Mills process of America was quite different from the New Zealand one. It probably could not be operated with New Zealand wheats and required special expensive machinery and was heavily protected by patents. Furthermore, it gave bread containing very much less wheat germ than the New Zealand process made possible. More recently, the synthetic vitamin Bl was being added to bread in Great | Britain. Valuable as this was in Great j Britain, the use of the wheat germ by the New Zealand process had many advantages. The essential and distinguishing feature of the Wheat Research Institute’s process was in the prefermentation of the vMieat germ with yeast before the addition to flour. It gave a loaf of fine texture and good appearance, palatable to the taste, and a content of 10 per cent, of wheat germ compared with 2 per cent, in wholemeal. Some mills already had supplies of wheat germ in stock. Several others had made preliminary runs and could start production at a day’s notice.