The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-03-20
HomemakerS' Column
Edited by Miss Mildred Barton, Home
Demonstration Agent for Garrett
County, Oakland.
Enriched" Flour and Bread


They are coming to market in a new
"enriched" form with higher vita
min and mineral content than ordi-
nary white flour or white bread
These vitamins and minerals are val
liable from the standpoint of family
nutrition-and every homemaker who
wants to make sure of getting zen
riched" flour and bread should know
some of the basic facts about them.
DR.. Louise Stanley, chief of the Blu
reau of Home Economics, U. S. De
partment of Agriculture, answers
some pertinent questions about the
new flour and bread.
@. How does enriched" flour diff
fer from ordinary white flour?
A. INTENTIONALLY, it differs in vita
min and mineral content That is, it
must have a certain amount of thia-
min chloride (vitamin BID, nicotine
acid (pellagra-preventive factor) and
iron. Two of the other ingredients
that may be in the enriched" flour
are calcium and riboflavin.
In taste, the new flour cannot be
distinguished from plain white flour
In looks, flour that has been ZEN
riched" by the addition of vitamin and
mineral concentrates after it has been
milled resembles plain white flour. On
the other hand, flour enriched" by a
modification of the milling process so
as to retain a larger amount of the
ENTHUSIASTICALLY those parts rich
est in vitamins and minerals-will be
a light creamy color rather than pure
white.
Q. Why were these particular vi
tamins and minerals selected?
A. They were chosen because they
are the food values we logically
should expect bread and other flour
products to contribute to our diets.
They are all present in the original
wheat-but are removed in making
refined white flour. Chief among nu-
trients lost are thiamin, nicotine acid
and iron. These may all be added to
flour at little or no extra cost. Bread
that contains 6 or percent of milk
solids will often come up to the min
imum standards for the riboflavin and
calcium.
@. Who has set up the standards
for enriched" flour?
A. The standards for flour have
been proposed in the hearings of the
Food and Drug Administration, but
they have not been established Off
cially by the government. They have,
however, been considered by the mem
bers of the Committee on Foods and
Nutrition of the National Research
Council, many of whom testified in
the hearings before the Food and
Drug Administration. Members of
this committee have recommended
these standards as desirable. They
have met with representatives of the
milling and baking industries and the
standards proposed are being used in
the flour appearing on the market.
This same committee, working in an
advisory capacity to the Administra-
tor of Health and Welfare in the Ma
tional Defense program, will consider
putting back important nutrients into
others of our common refined foods
in order to improve the diets of the
people of this country. Bread and
flour were considered first, because
such large amount Of them is eaten,
especially by families on low-cost
diets.
Q. Is there any way l can make
sure am getting this bread or flour
at the store?
A. Yes, read labels. 1t is only
when flour or bread is labeled "en-
riched" that you can be sure it con-
tains at least the minimum amounts
of thiamin chloride, NICOTINE acid and
iron set by the standard. Many manu-
facturers are putting on their labels
the amounts of these nutrients that
are in their products.
The minimum standards for zen
riched" flour per pound are: Thiamin
chloride, 1.66 milligrams; NICOTINE
acid, els milligrams, and iron, 6.15
milligrams.
Since bread is about two-thirds
flour, a pound loaf of "enriched'
bread will have approximately two
thirds as much of each of these nutri-
ents as has flour. Or, one-pound
loaf of bread must have at least: l
milligram thiamin chloride, MILL
grams nicotine acid, and milligrams
of iron to be called enriched"
@. Why isn't whole-wheat flour
being enriched?
A. Whole-wheat flour made from
good, sound wheat already exceeds
the minimum standards for at least
two of the three required substances
that are being included in the new
enriched" white flours. Since all the
nutrients of the wheat are retained in
whole-wheat flour there is no reason
for enrichment.
Q. In plain language, about how
much vitamin B-1 could a person get
from enriched" bread?
A. If he ate about six medium