Evening star., 1941-04-07

Very little Of the precious vitamin
B complex in wheat need be wasted
In making flour-if public food
habits could be changed.
This was revealed by wheat spe-
cialists of the Agriculture Depart
ment today in connection with a
hitherto secret process, announced
here, as promising to revolutionize
-four manufacture, effect large
saving of wheat and preserve nearly
all the now wasted minerals.
1t has been shown over and over
again, they say, that the American
public demands snow-white -four.
Millers are master craftsmen who
have made a major effort for more
than half century to get their flour
whittier and whittier.
To preserve the vitamins by any
process gives -four a slightly yellow
ish tinge.
The Wheat Kernel.
The shell of the wheat kernel, it
was explained by DR.. Robert Black,
Agriculture Department specialist,
consists of six layers. making up
about 30 per cent of the whole and
surrounding the white, starchy por-
ton, the endosperm, from which
nearly all flour now Is made.
The first layer of this shell, the
cuticle, is extremely thin and carries
fine bristles on one end. The new
process claims to take off this cuticle
and nothing else, leaving all the rest
of the wheat to go into flour.
Actually, says DIR. Black, all that
need be taken of to make palatable
whole wheat -four are the briStles.
Both these and the cuticle now are
removed by securing process,
necessary anyway to remove the dirt,
before actual milling starts.
From this point on, says DIR. Black,
1t is possible to remove the five
underlying layers by the present
milling processes one at time, If
this is desired. 1t all depends on
how white one wants the flour.
Vitamin B-1.
1t is now believed, the Agriculture
Department specialist points out,
that the major part of the vitamin
B-1, or thiamin chloride, is con-
tanned in a single, miscroscopically
thin layer, the so-called alneurone
cells, which lies just above the
endosperm.
If miller wants to retain this
layer he can do so. 1t slightly dis
colors the bread. There have been
protests when it was attempted.
Also, DR.. Black points out, while
thiamin chloride can be assayed in
the alneurone layer there is no evil
dence that it is in a form to be
assimilated by the human system.
1t is known that the synthetic
vitamin Is so aSsimilated.
1t is necessary to get rid of the
wheat germ, tiny little nodule con-
tanned in pocket at one end of the
wheat kernel and which contains
some of the B complex and vitamin
E. But no method Of milling can
preserve this and at the same time
produce flour of good keeping
quality.
White Flour Not Old.
Even passably white -four, 1t was
pointed out. dates back only to about
1870. In England about 100 years
ago there was started a fad for
"whitish flour" but it was probably
only a little less brown than whole
wheat flour.
On the whole the Agriculture De-
partment agrees with the millers.
1t wants to keep its flour white.
The specialists refused comment
on the new process. announced with
considerable flourish here today.
The inventor is Theodore Earle
of Los Angeles. Mr.. Earle, accord
ing to the account given by his rep
reSentatives here today, has long
been interested in causing flower
seeds to sprout earlier and believed
that this could be done If the hard
shells in which many of them are
inclosed could be removed without
injuring any of the underlying
tissues.
A gold miner by profession, 1t oc-