Whole grain

Whole grain is grain, which were removed after harvest only awns and glumes. Fiber, vitamins, oils and minerals ( the bran) and the seedling remain in the cup, and be viewed as beneficial to health. The oils are nutritionally particularly valuable because the content of essential fatty acids is very high.

Whole grain is the entire seed, processed to crushing or meals, and other whole-grain products such as breakfast cereals. According to DIN 10355 distinguishes between wheat, spelled and rye wholemeal flour or - grind. For whole grain definition states, literally in the standard: " wholemeal flour and wholemeal must contain all components of the clean grain, including the germ. The grains may be freed before processing of the outer pericarp. " Wholemeal flour and shreds do not have type Number.

For whole-grain products no analytically determinable limit or guideline values ​​are set. This is due to the natural fluctuation of its compound contents that differ strongly depending on climatic conditions, soil quality, cereal and type. These are for wheat and rye wholemeal at the following values ​​(about a percentage, based on the dry substance):

As part of the EU research project HEALTHGRAIN a European full- grain definition has been developed which describes on current scientific knowledge, the term " whole grain " as follows: " Whole grain is to consist of the whole, ground, crushed or flockierten grains after the non-edible parts, such as husks and hulls were removed. The main components of the anatomy - the starchy endosperm, the germ and the shell - are in the same ratio exists as in whole grain " ... Furthermore, comprehensively and in detail to botanical and technological issues in particular aspects of product quality and food safety in mind. be considered a preventive and sustainable consumer protection.

Whole grain is processed into bread, biscuits and pastries, as well as pasta, grains, groats and flakes ( cereal). In the livestock sector wholegrain cereals is used as a feed grain. Wholemeal and wholegrain wholemeal have a limited shelf life. Your fatty acids are very unstable. The high enzyme content increases this instability ( from the destroyed seedling ). By addition of the antioxidant is ascorbic acid (vitamin C), the shelf life is improved.

In addition to the desired substances contains whole grain cereal, depending on the different defensive substances ( Antinutritiva ) against predators such as phytin, arabinoxylans, lectins, and others.

Not all cereals are edible as whole grains. In the so -called " whole grain rice " the husks were removed, only the silver skin is still included.

Barley and spelled are also Spelzgetreide in which the glumes are fused with the endosperm and must be husked before further processing. Whole grains from barley grains, groats and flakes. Green core is prematurely harvested spelled, which is then dried ( smoked) and is processed as whole grains. Green core is very similar to using buckwheat as a side dish and soup fruit, but is unsuitable for bread-making.

History

Before the technical possibilities existed to weed seedling and boundary layers, flour contained all the components of the grain, equivalent to today's wholemeal flour.

Initially, the grain of hunter-gatherers was raw, dried or roasted on the fire consumes. At the latest with the settled life in the Neolithic period, the targeted cultivation and triage of cereals, it can be assumed that whole grain ground and was made into porridge or flatbread.

Even in ancient flour was additionally screened with nets to reduce the bran and germ components. Here, a degree of purification was achieved, which corresponds only to the current extraction rate of Ruchmehls or half white flour. In addition, further also unscreened wheat flour with all -grain components was used for special types of bread. This bread was said already by the ancient physician Galen a laxative and cleansing effect. However, he came from a lower nutritional value of the unscreened flour.

Bread made ​​of fine flour is better than bread made from malleable meal or whole grain, reduced both the required Aufquell as well as the baking time significantly and showed an enhanced effect on chemical or physical leavening.

Breakfast was dark bread as backward and rural, bread made ​​from white flour, however, as a status symbol of the upper class. In northern German regions became eaten up in the 20th century by the rural population rye bread from whole grain or only under excretion of part of the cases. Bag works for screening out the bran and coarse flour ingredients were present only in the cities as in the winning country until the 19th century. Only the introduction of new Müllereitechniken brought a change here.

Until the early 19th century was differentiated at German hospitals between doctors and patients of the upper class, the white bread were given, and the majority of patients who had to be content with black bread. This was justified by the " fine -developed food system " by members of higher grades.

With the advent of the first approaches to food chemistry as for the industrial production of food darker breads were touted as nährstoffhaltiger and healthier. On the chemist Justus von Liebig go next to the meat extract, experiments nutrient content of bran bread back. The progress of industrialization has been partially critical. Ground were also food scandals in which dark flour was bleached with chlorine and alum. Since the mid 19th century, in contrast, developed especially in Germany reform movements that advocated a return to a " nature-friendly lifestyle ." This included these reformers also believes that cereal should be eaten with the germ and the bran. Various types of wholemeal breads were and continue to be a specialty of the German language area.

A whole-grain bread in the narrower sense is, inter alia, Graham bread ( in Austria mostly in the form of Grahamweckerls ), a named after Sylvester Graham ( 1794-1851 ) bread made ​​from finely shredded, unscreened whole grain wheat, which without blowing agents such as yeast or sourdough for a " spontaneous fermentation " is baked in a loaf pan.

From a regional whole grain specialty, the Westphalian pumpernickel, was a widespread bread for the diet of soldiers, as in the U.S. army in the 19th century due to its durability and ease of fabrication in box ovens ( see A. Schütte ). Much was later used in the German armies Kommissbrot, also from whole grains. The whole grain breads were suitable addition to the long shelf life, especially so for the military, because they were made from the simplest ingredients ( meal, whole grain salt and water). The technical challenge was in the pre-swelling as a soaker and a long cooking time because the heat caused by the high density of drive -less bread penetrate only slowly and can cook what has been achieved with the corresponding field ovens.

Uwe Spiekermann speaks of a real whole grain bread policies of National Socialism. However, there were ideological tendency to all "pure" and " unmixed ". In this context, whole grain diet has been touted as this is particularly pure and unadulterated. From single dietary requirements but there was no question. The Nazi regime pursued a systematic health and nutrition policy. This also established the continuing post-war institutions and standard works of dietetics, consumer advice to popular cookbooks. The propagated dietary recommendations, which were also part of the preparation for war, coincided, also what the whole grain was concerned, with many demands of the Reform Movement.

A certain renaissance experienced different whole grain breads in the context of ecological and environmental movement in the 1970s and 1980s.

Health aspects

With regard to the prevention and mitigation of diabetes whole grains are considered to be beneficial to health. In addition, it is assumed that the fiber contained in whole wheat flour stimulate and regulate digestion and prevent constipation. They should also help to regulate the intestinal flora to regenerate the intestinal mucosa, reduce blood fat and prevent colon cancer. With a more fiber-rich foods but also intolerance such as bloating are possible. Health effects caused by substances such as phytic acid ( lectins ) are controversial. The phytic acid is degraded in acidification or germination and the heat stability of various lectins is given for wheat.

Products (Selection )

• Black bread
• Rye bread
• Crispbread
• Whole wheat pasta
• ( Barley ) beer
• Oatmeal
• Cereal mixtures