The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-01-17
GRAY FLOUR.
The So-Called Entire or Whole Wheat OF
Commerce.

he SO-Called Entire or WHoie :"
Commerce.
After the introduction of the roller OF
continuous process of milling wheat
commercial company put upon the mar
ket a flour that they misnamed entire
wheat -four which. contained in addition
to the floury portions of the berry, part
of the aleurone layer and some bran.
This company which claims to be the
"originators and only makers of entire
wheat flour states that in their process
the "husk to which is attached the
fibrous beard and which is composed of
slick and woody fiber, is innutrltlve and
indigestible is entirely removed from the
berry before it is ground" Unfortunate
ly for the accuracy of this statement diff
ferent samples of their product furnished
directly by the company to the Maine
Agricultural Experiment Station uni
formly carried portions of the outer hull
DRAM and the refuse furnished by that
company was found to always contain
portions of the floury and aleurone layer
portions of the berry
In fact, all so-called entire wheat flours
are milled in the same way as standard
white and differ from standard white
flour by having the extraction more ex-
tended SO that in place of a yield of about
72 pounds per 100 pounds of wheat a
yield of 80 to So pounds of entire wheat
flour is obtained. The IL or Is pounds
that entire wheat flour has in addition to
the 70 pounds of standard white flour is
dog hours and the shorts or middlings
which are separated as parts of the offal
when standard patent flour is made
These materials are poor in quality and
of low dlgestibilty. Much of the laxa-
tive qualities of graham flour are due to
the matters contained in the aleurone
layer of the wheat berry.
The Germans have extended the wheat
flour used at home--not that used by the
desirable otfal. This was done by them
as it was the most desirable filler avail
able to them. Recently this was tried in
This resulted in so much bowel
trouble that the English officials cablsd
to this country that studies should be IN
dertaken to compare the nutritive values
of standard patent flour and the extend
ed extraction flour. The United States
authorities were able to cable back that
such studies were made by Woods and
Merrill at the Maine Agricultural Ex-
pertinent Station and by Snyder at the
University of Minnesota Is years ago;
that these results showed that entire
wheat flour was not as digestible and was
of lower nutritive value than standard
white flour; and that it's use by people
doing active work was advised against.
Because of the acute condition of the
worlds wheat supply and the impera-
tive duty incumbent upon every loyal
American to conserve wheat that it may
be sent abroad to our soldiers and to our
Allies, some way of extending wheat
must be resorted to- Fortunately we
have abundant supplies of corn and oats
These are highly nutritious and digestibe
food materials Because they lack gluten
they cannot be used by themselves for
making light bread. They can. how
ever, be used in the proportion of one
part to two of white flour in bread max
ing. The resulting loaves will be light
and nutritious. If white corn be used
the loaves will be as white as all stand
ard flour bread. The loaves will be
moister and remain in an apparently
fresh" condition longer than if made
from flour alone. Using entire wheat
adds about one-sixth to the amount con-
sumed but does not increase the nutritive
value of the bread. Using corn or oat
meals as indicated above adds third to
The flour of highly digestible nutritive
food materials. Obviously this is the
way for Americans with their abundance
oi corn and oats to make wheat go
farther. Such combination replaces and
SO per cent of wheat and fur
nlshes equal nutriment in highly palat-
able form. CHAS. D. WOODS,
Director.