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Wholemeal flour is a food product obtained by grinding the kernels of common wheat (Triticum aestivum), previously freed from foreign substances and impurities.
Wholemeal flour has a dusty consistency and is aimed at mixing with liquid and / or fatty ingredients (water, oil or eggs), to give rise to many doughs of typically Mediterranean origin (such as bread and pasta).
Homemade Wholemeal Bread Video Recipe
Homemade Wholemeal Pasta Video Recipe
All Video Recipes with Wholemeal Flour
Wholemeal flour should be made by grinding or crushing the wheat seed entire; however, for technical reasons, it is often obtained from refined grains and subsequently added in bran.
NON wholemeal flour is also called white flour; this, depending on the commercial destination, in addition to being deprived of the chaff or husk (bran), can be subjected to bleaching with food additives (bleaching agents). On the other hand, these refining processes tend to sacrifice one or more nutritional components of the food. To try to restore (at least in part) the original chemical characteristics, it is possible to mix white flours with wholemeal ones.
The word “wholemeal” refers to the fact that all the components of the seed are used, while the white flour is limited to the starchy endosperm.
In wheat, as well as in rye - but unlike rice, oats and spelled - the external integuments and the germ do not naturally remain attached to the kernels and are separated during threshing. On the contrary, in other cereals, the husks and the " embryo adhere firmly and, for an "eventual refining, must be excluded with a process called husking.
Nutritional Characteristics
Wholemeal flour is a complete flour which, in addition to starch, provides greater quantities of fiber, proteins (of medium biological value), vitamins (water-soluble and fat-soluble), fatty acids (mainly unsaturated - polyunsaturated) and ashes (mineral salts) compared to white flour. ).
Wholemeal flour is therefore more nutritious than white flour, although the latter can be enriched again with certain nutrients (micronutrients); the process is called fortification and, in some jurisdictions, it is required by law
However, fortified white flour does not contain the same nutritional components and the same nutrients (macronutrients) as bran and wheat germ, especially as regards fibers, proteins and fats.
Whole wheat seed and wholemeal flour made from it are a good source of:
- Fibers
- Calcium and iron (but with poor bioavailability)
- Magnesium and Selenium
- Water-soluble vitamins of group B (in addition to thiamine or B1 of white flour, also niacin or PP, pantothenic acid or B5 and pyridoxine or B6)
- Fat-soluble vitamins E (tocopherols) and retinol equivalent (pro vit A)
- Essential fatty acids (omega 3 group)
Impact on Health
Nutritional values (per 100 g of edible portion)
Wholemeal flour is a vegetable ingredient belonging to the III group of foods, which in the human diet has the function of covering the needs of carbohydrates, fibers, some salts and vitamins. Compared to refined flour, wholemeal flour provides fewer carbohydrates and calories, but higher doses of any other nutrient.
Carbohydrates are the molecules mainly involved in the ATP production of cellular respiration, which is why wholemeal flour has a remarkable energizing power.
Wholemeal flour fibers are mainly insoluble, but they also contribute to modulating intestinal absorption by reducing the uptake of fats (including cholesterol) and moderating the overall insulin index. Furthermore, the fibers feed physiological bacteria (prebiotic function) which act as a defensive immune barrier and produce certain vitamins. The fibers increase the sense of satiety and are related to a lower caloric intake, limiting the possibility of weight gain. They also favor intestinal peristalsis and the regularization of fecal evacuations, preventing constipation, hemorrhoids, fissures, tumors and many other intestinal pathologies or acute conditions. On the other hand, an excess of wholemeal flour (which can occur in the diet of athletes) would cause malabsorption, diarrhea and bloating.
Wholemeal flour also contains a higher dose of phytic acid, which helps reduce the uptake of certain minerals.
Among the electrolytes of wholemeal flour, the most important are certainly magnesium (very important for muscle contraction) and selenium (antioxidant and support for thyroid function). Iron and calcium, however well present, can be introduced more effectively by eating other foods of animal origin.
As anticipated, the most important water-soluble vitamins of wholemeal flour are B1, PP, B5 and B6, all coenzymatic agents of great metabolic importance. Vitamin E, which is also well present, is a powerful antioxidant.
Wholemeal flour also contains a protein fraction, however of medium biological value. These, which do not have a complete amino acid profile for humans, can be completed by associating them with those contained in legumes.
The percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids is also good, even if wholemeal flour is certainly not the most suitable food to reach the recommended ration of these nutrients in the diet (mainly supplied by oil seeds, fishery products, oils, etc.).
For sedentary subjects, the replacement of refined flour with wholemeal flour represents a preventive element against overweight and metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia.
Wholemeal flour contains gluten and does not lend itself to the diet against celiac disease.
Video Recipes with Wholemeal Flour
Conservation and Rancidity
Wholemeal flour has a shorter shelf-life than white flour.
The agent responsible for this negative characteristic is the prevailing lipid fraction (fatty acids of triglycerides), which easily rancid (oxidation and peroxidation) due to the presence of: oxygen, light, water, acid pH, high or medium temperatures and certain microorganisms .
To tell the truth, not all fatty acids have the same chemical-physical characteristics; there are more or less resistant to high temperatures, light, oxygen, etc. Unfortunately, those of wholemeal flour, mainly contained in the germ or embryo of the seed, are considered among the most delicate in nature. Biologically, fatty acids are protected by some elements called antioxidants. There are many types and each one intervenes in a different way; the most important are probably the tocopherols or tocotrienols, or vitamin E. This acts "sacrificing" itself to keep the fatty acid chains intact. so it is the first nutrient to be annihilated with rancidity. The process vaguely resembles tissue aging, which is why vitamin E is also considered to be one of the most potent antioxidants and anti-aging molecules known to date.
The fatty acids of wholemeal flour are chemically defined as polyunsaturated and some of them are considered essential for man (that is, the body is not able to produce them independently). The "nutritional value" of wholemeal flour is therefore inversely proportional to its conservation and, despite the significant presence of tocopherols, the tendency to deteriorate remains very high.
To ensure a good content of tocotrienols and essential fatty acids in whole wheat flour, it is therefore necessary to comply with the following storage requirements: low temperature, absence of light, hermetic seal (preferably partially vacuumed), low humidity, absence of contamination with other products and absence of significant microbial loads.
Wholemeal flour and bread
Often, wholemeal flour is not used as the main ingredient in baked goods due to its "heaviness" (specific weight) and less tendency to rise.
Increasing the amount of wholemeal flour for the same volume of product (the air bubbles in the bread are smaller in number and size) compromises the final yield, raising processing costs. This is the reason why many baked foods theoretically "Wholemeal" are not produced with 100% wholemeal flour, but with the prevalence of refined flour (51% and 49%). Furthermore, for a certain period of time, "real" wholemeal flour was completely abandoned by production cycles and the one available on the market was nothing more than white flour with added bran.
On the other hand, it is possible to improve the yield of wholemeal flour by increasing the water content in the dough, since the bran and the germ also tend to absorb liquids. This can be achieved by mixing and working the dough for a longer period of time, furthermore favoring the development of the glutinous reticulum (necessary for leavening).
To optimize the process, some technicians adopt additional leavening, so three in total: two for the dough and a third after giving it the shape. The addition of fats (butter, oil, lard) and / or milk products dairy products (fresh milk, powdered milk, kefir, buttermilk, yogurt, etc.) can favor the volumetric increase of the food, depending on the type of ingredient and its percentage in the mixture.
Wholemeal Pizza (Long Rising)
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Wholemeal White Flour
There wholemeal white flour it is (or should be) a flour ground from whole durum wheat seeds. The lighter color is justified by the fact that the ears are harvested in spring, unlike the traditional red or golden wheat which respects a typically summer production cycle.
The substantial difference between the two products lies in the fact that wholemeal white flour has a lower content of: gluten, tannins and phenolic acid. The taste is obviously lighter and more delicate, similar to that of refined flour. A commercial example of wholemeal white flour is the “King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour”.
In Italy, on the other hand, a type of wholemeal white flour is distributed artificially obtained by enzymatic biocatalysis (a biological process) of traditional wheat bran. It is a technique patented by the Integalbianco® brand, which acts on increasing the solubility of otherwise insoluble fibers (up to + 20%) making them more available to the human body.
Consumption trend
Although the general population has always preferred white flour to wholemeal flour, recently, the consumption of foods rich in fiber seems to be in great development. This is mainly due to the disclosure on the nutritional benefits of wholemeal flour, which have been able to convince consumers despite a small economic disadvantage.
The Whole Grains Council Industry Association reported nearly a doubling of wholemeal flour production over the years 2003-2007. In the same period, in the USA, the consumption of wholemeal bread equaled with that of white and, starting from 2010, even surpassed it.
Legislative notes
The product characteristics of wholemeal flour are regulated by current legislation, therefore potentially different between the various countries of the world.
In Italy, wholemeal flour is regulated by the Decree of the President of the Republic of 9 February 2001, n. 187. The document specifies the definitions and characteristics of wheat flours, including wholemeal:
Chapter I, Art. 1, paragraph 1: The product obtained directly from the grinding of soft wheat freed from foreign substances and impurities is called "whole wheat flour".
Chapter I, Art. 1, paragraph 3: Chemical characteristics: Maximum humidity of 14.5%, a minimum of ashes equal to 1.30 out of one hundred parts of dry matter, a maximum of ashes equal to 1.70 out of one hundred parts of dry matter and a minimum protein portion (nitrogen x 5.70) of 12.00.
Chapter I, Art. 2, paragraph 3: It is "called" whole durum wheat semolina ", or simply" whole semolina ", the granular product with sharp edges obtained directly from the grinding of durum wheat freed from foreign substances and impurities.
Chapter I, Art. 2, paragraph 5: Chemical characteristics: Maximum humidity of 14.5%, a minimum of ashes equal to 1.36 out of one hundred parts of dry matter, a maximum of ashes equal to 1.70 out of one hundred parts of dry matter and a minimum protein portion (nitrogen x 5.70) of 11.50.
In the United States, "wholemeal flour" must contain the whole portion of bran, germ and endosperm, thus maintaining all natural proportions.
In Canada, on the other hand, "wholemeal flour" can be reduced by up to 5% of the seed and does not necessarily have to maintain all the natural chemical proportions. It can contain up to -70% of the original germ, thus becoming much more conservable. However, there is the term "whole grain whole wheat flour", which necessarily implies the use of whole grains with natural proportions (embryo included).
In various countries around the world, wholemeal flour is marked with a specific name, acronym, wording or number.
Summary table of the wording on wholemeal flours in some countries of the world
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