_Flour._ In the old-time process of making flour the wheat was
crushed between stones and then sifted, first, through a sieve, which
separated the outer shell of the bran; then through bolting cloth,
which separated the white pulp from the inner bran coating. It was not
ground as fine as in the present process, thus the gluten, phosphorus,
and iron (all valuable substances) were, in the old process, nearly
all left out of the white flour. The second bran coating, left by the
second sifting, was not so coarse as the outer shell but coarser than
the inner. Care was not formerly observed in having the grain clean
before grinding, the bran containing chaff and dirt, so that it was
not used as food but was considered valuable for stock, and was called
“middlings.”
In the modern process of crushing the wheat between steel rollers, the
white flour of to-day contains more of the protein from the inner coat
of the bran than the white flour of the old process; hence, it is more
nutritious.
_Bran._ Objection is sometimes made to bran because the cellulose
shell is not digested, but bran contains much protein and mineral
matter and even though it is crude fiber, as previously stated, this
fiber has a value as a cleanser for the lining of the stomach and
intestines, and for increasing peristalsis, thus encouraging the flow
of digestive juices and the elimination of waste. In bread or breakfast
foods, it is desirable to retain it for its laxative effect.
Bran has three coats—the tough, glossy outside, within this a coat
containing most of the coloring matter, and a third coat, containing
a special kind of protein, known as cerealin. The two outer layers
contain phosphorus compounds, lime, and iron. All three coats contain
gluten.
_Gluten flour_ is made of the gluten of wheat. It is a valuable, easily
digested food, containing a large proportion of protein and little
starch. Gluten bread is used by those who wish to reduce in flesh and
in diabetic cases.
_Whole wheat_ flour does not contain the whole of the wheat, as the
name implies; it, however, does contain all the proteins of the
endosperm and the gluten and oil of the germ, together with all of the
starch. As a flour, therefore, it is a more balanced food than the
white flour, because it contains more nitrogenous elements.
_Graham flour_ is made from the entire wheat kernel with the exception
of the outermost scale of the bran. It contains the starch, gluten
phosphorus compounds, iron, and lime. It is the most desirable of
the flours because, containing the bran, it assists in digestion and
elimination, and the phosphorus, iron, and lime, are valuable body
builders.
_Nutri meal_ is much the same as Graham flour, the chief difference
being that the bran is ground finer. The wheat is ground between hot
rollers, the heat bringing out the nutty flavor of the bran. Bread made
from it is not only nutritious, but delicious in flavor. It contains
all of the nutrition of the wheat.
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