Whole wheat foods are popular for their rich nutrition and significant health benefits. But are the whole wheat foods sold on the market truly whole wheat? Today, the editor will teach you how to identify genuine whole wheat foods.
Like green vegetables, whole wheat flour has become a well-known healthy food. Now, supermarkets sell "whole wheat flour" from various brands. Because there are no national standards for whole wheat flour, upon careful observation, you will find that much of it is misnamed, while very little lives up to its name.
Some "whole wheat flour" is only slightly grayer and yellower than ordinary refined white flour. It has no bran, no coarse texture, and a long shelf life (12 months), so it is not true whole wheat flour. It is simply ground slightly coarser than refined white flour.
Some "whole wheat flour" may contain a little bran, but it is clearly added afterwards. This is also misnamed.
True whole wheat flour should be made from grinding the entire wheat kernel. The whole wheat kernel consists of three parts—the germ (about 2.5%), the endosperm (about 85%), and the bran (about 12.5%). Among them, the germ is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients, but its disadvantage is that it is prone to oxidation and spoilage, so it is usually removed in general flour to extend its shelf life. The bran (and the parts near the bran) is rich in B vitamins, protein, and dietary fiber, with high nutritional value, but its disadvantage is a coarse, brown texture and poor taste, so it is generally removed as much as possible in general flour. The endosperm is mainly composed of starch, has low nutritional value, but has a fine texture and snow-white color that is appealing, so it is the only component of ordinary flour.
Only whole wheat flour that includes all three parts—the germ, endosperm, and bran—is true whole wheat flour. Its characteristics are a dark color, a coarse texture, and visible bran mixed into the flour. It has a shorter shelf life and is prone to oxidation and spoilage. When used, it is often mixed with a certain proportion of refined white flour to improve its sensory properties.
In supermarkets, the most misnamed item after whole wheat flour is "whole wheat bread." Except for some authentic Da Lieba ("Lieba" is Russian for "bread," introduced from Russia and hailed as a specialty of Harbin), there are almost no breads in supermarkets made with 100% whole wheat flour.
Next best is the "semi-whole wheat bread," made by mixing some whole wheat flour with refined white flour. Its characteristics (you must look at the cross-section, not just the surface) are a coarse, brown texture with visible bran, larger air holes, and a coarse texture—in a word, "not very tasty." Of course, because there are no national standards for whole wheat bread, breads containing 10% whole wheat flour and 50% whole wheat flour can both be called "whole wheat bread."
Even less genuine is the "whole wheat bread" made entirely from refined white flour with a little bran sprinkled on top. Its characteristics are a not-coarse texture, a not-dark color, visible bran, a not-coarse texture, and it is quite tasty.
The worst is the dyed "whole wheat bread." It is made entirely from refined white flour, with not even a decorative sprinkle of bran, so it is just ordinary bread. But it is "cleverly" dyed with caramel and other pigments to the brown color of real whole wheat bread. Its characteristics are a fine texture, an even color of appropriate depth, a fine texture that is not coarse or rough, no bran, and it is very tasty. According to observation, this purely counterfeit "whole wheat bread" is the most popular in supermarkets.