Scientists are trying to create a new type of bread that looks and tastes like white bread, while being as healthy as whole grains.
The project, aimed at white bread lovers, is funded by the government to improve the health benefits of food in the UK.
The researchers plan to add small amounts of peas, beans and cereals to bread mixes, as well as bran and wheat germ, which are usually removed from white flour.
Bread makers have previously tried adding bran to flour to make white bread healthier, but customers didn’t like the taste and texture.
The research project is still in its early stages.
One of its leaders, Dr Catherine Howarth from Aberystwyth University, said scientists had begun to analyze the detailed chemical composition of existing white flours.
She said it’s a delicate balancing act to maintain the taste and feel of white bread while increasing its nutritional value to the level of whole wheat bread.
This includes adding back some of the small amounts of wheat germ and bran that are removed during the milling process, as well as producing quinoa, teff, sorghum, and millet. Green peas and chickpeas provide additional protein.
“We want to know exactly what vitamins and minerals are lost during the milling process,” Dr Howarth said.
“Using other cereals can increase levels of iron, zinc, vitamins, and most importantly, fiber content. White bread contains very little fiber, which is important for health. is.”
Dr Howarth comes up with some recipes and Chris Hollister, product development manager at flour producer Shipton Mill in Gloucestershire, turns them into bread.
“Most people know that whole grain bread is better for you, but many people are put off by the flavor or simply aren’t interested because they’re not used to it,” he says. He talked about the challenge.
The final step will be to let people try the new bread and see if they can distinguish it from sliced supermarket white bread.
Mr. Hollister used me as a guinea pig and created an early prototype made from a mixture of regular white flour plus grains and peas.
It was crunchier than the white bread you buy at the supermarket, but other than that it looked and tasted like white bread. But there is still much work to be done.
It is expected to be on supermarket shelves within about two years.
image source, BBC/Kevin Church
The researchers believe this approach is successful because it only adds the inner layer of bran, which is less flavorful and less colored. They say they use other grains that are more nutritious but don’t have as strong a flavor, so you should add less.
By law, white bread must have minerals and vitamins added to it to replace the goodness lost in the refining process. But Dr. Amanda Lloyd, who works with Dr. Howarth and Mr. Hollister, believes that natural ingredients could make white sliced bread even healthier.
“Improving the nutritional value of standard bog bread will improve people’s quality of life and their health and wellbeing,” Dr Lloyd said.
Tim Lang, a food policy professor at City University who is not connected to the research team, said the study could be an important step forward in improving people’s health.
“Britons have loved white bread for more than a century and nutritionists have been keen to get more people eating whole grains. The new research looks like a very interesting approach to doing that.” he said.
“Critics will say it’s tricking people into improving their eating habits, but nutritionists say it doesn’t matter how it’s done, it’s hitting people’s throats to improve their health.” I would say it is important to let it sink in!
“But the jury is out on whether this new approach will work,” he added.
image source, BBC/Kevin Church
According to the BDA, research shows that 95% of adults do not consume enough whole grains, and nearly one in three people do not consume any whole grains at all.
According to Chris Hollister, that wasn’t necessarily the case.
“White bread was once the preserve of the upper class because it was a refined product and much more expensive than whole wheat bread. So other people wanted white bread too because it looked better. ” he said.
“Some people then switched to other methods because research showed they were more nutritious.”
But Chris doesn’t think the situation will ever end because so many people are used to eating sliced white bread.
“The reason white bread is so much cheaper than whole wheat is because companies are gearing up to produce white bread. And that’s what most people are used to.”
