Grain-Based Ingredients

The market for grains has grown since Robin Williams first tasted whole-grain bread, and no doubt the industry will continue to innovate and create new combinations and uses.

Cindy Hazen, a 20-year veteran of the food industry, is a freelance writer based in Memphis, TN. She can be reached at cindyhazen@cs.com.

Market Snapshot

Great Grains

The Oct. 2007 report, “Consumer Attitudes Toward Functional Foods/Foods for Health,” from International Food Information Council, Washington, D.C., revealed that awareness of whole grains grew 25% from 2005 to 2007. Whole grains were listed in the top six functional foods. In addition, 72% of consumers associated whole grains with cardiovascular benefits, and 86% associated both fiber and whole grains with intestinal health.

Chicago-based Mintel’s Global New Products Database reports that, in 2007, nearly 15 times as many whole-grain products were introduced worldwide compared to 2000. In 2007, bakery constituted 798 new launches. Breakfast cereals followed with 708 launches. Snacks came in third with 408 launches.

In the Jan. 2006 “Healthy Eating: Impact on the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry” survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, Rochester, NY, 32% of those surveyed cited nutrition as the first reason for eating whole-grain products. Increased fiber was noted by 31% as their primary reason. Perhaps most revealing of the industry’s success with whole grains is the 13% who cited better taste as their primary reason.

Market Snapshot

Just the flax

Although FDA does not consider flax or other oilseeds grains, these ingredients are infinitely well matched in whole-grain foods. Flaxseed is rich in omega-3s.

However, simply adding whole flaxseeds does not offer a nutritional benefit. Nam Fong Han, Ph.D., president, Natunola Health, Winchester, Ontario, explains that the whole flaxseed is not digestible by the human body. The company offers a shelled flaxseed and a hulled flaxseed.

Ground flaxseed releases oils from the kernel, resulting in an unstable product. Natunola has a unique processing technique: “We take the shell off the whole flaxseed, providing the kernel, the meat, which is loaded with omega-3 and the shell, which is high in fiber and lignan,” says Han. “In the whole flaxseed, everything is intact. When they are ground up, everything is intact. When you are doing the shelling, you pull off the shell and then you have the kernel minus the shell. Thus, proportionally, the omega-3 content is increased substantially in the flax kernel. The omega-3 content in the shelled flax is much higher as compared to whole seed and ground. If you do a formulation using 3% to 6% of the whole flaxseed, you could use anywhere from 1% to 4% of the shelled flaxseed.”

One version has 70% of the shell removed. Han notes that five grams of this shelled flax is equal to 1.5 grams of omega-3. “An adult person needs 1.5 grams of omega-3 per day to stay healthy,” he suggests.

According to Han, most customers use between 3% and 6% by weight of the whole flaxseed, the ground flaxseed or the shelled flaxseed in bread or cookie formulations. Because flax has a nutty flavor, it enhances the flavor of breads. “If you are using the ground flax meal, or the flax hull, you may want to consider adding more water to your formulation,” he says. “The hull or the fiber from the powdered flax absorbs a lot more water and, thus, becomes more viscous in the formulation.”