What makes whole wheat bread a lot more appetising and tasty — it just boils down to controlling the amounts of ferulic acid (FA), a compound found in wheat bran.
Devin G. Peterson and colleagues from the University of Minnesota explain that whole wheat flour includes all three layers of the grain – bran, germ and endosperm – while refined flour is mostly endosperm.
Wheat flour is also rich in fibre and phytochemicals which lowers cancer, heart, obesity and diabetes risks and is more health giving than its refined white counterpart, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports.
Peterson and team focused on ferulic acid. When they added it to white flour dough, the bread tasted and smelled like wheat bread. Understanding these chemical reactions could help bakers make healthier bread more appetizing, the study suggests, according to a Minniesota statement.
Despite wheat bread’s benefits, many consumers choose white bread because they prefer its taste and aroma. Peterson wanted to find out how one specific compound prevalent in whole wheat flour impacts its taste and aroma.
