WELL RECEIVED

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21216, 12 September 1940, Page 10

WELL RECEIVED

NEW BREAD PROCESS ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION SEVERAL ADVANTAGES (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Wednesday “The reception by the press and interested individuals has been very gratifying, and much useful criticism has been received,” said the Minister in charge of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department, the Hon. D. G. McMillan, referring to the new process evolved by the Wheat Research Institute for the manufacture of white bread containing the wheat germ. The Minister added it was apparent from some inquiries received that there was some misconception in regard to the nature and purpose of the process, and the steps being taken to put into practical operation. “The novelty of the institute’s process has been questioned,” said the Minister. “There is nothing new about adding vitamins to flour or bread, but there is everything new about adding vitamins or the natural substance containing them in such a way that the palatability and keeping qualities of bread are not affected.”

Wholemeal flour contained the wheat germ, Dr. McMillan added, 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, required special expensive machinery, and v/as heavily protected by patents. Furthermore, it gave bread containing very much less wheat germ than the New Zealand process made pos - sible. More recently, a synthetic vitamin B 1 was being added to bread in Britain. Valuable as this was in Britain, the use of the wheat germ by the New Zealand process had many advantages. An essential distinguishing feature of the Wheat Research Institute’s process was in the prefermentation of the wheat germ with the yeast before addition to the flour. It gave a loaf of fine texture, good appearance, palatable taste, and a content of 10 per cent, of wheat germ, compared with 2 per cent, in wholemeal—not that it was intended to replace wholemeal, which had other qualities of its own. The formulae for the new bread had been supplied !n bulletin form to all bakers. Some mills already had supplies of wheat germ in stock. Several oth,ers had had preliminary runs, and could start production at a day’s notice.