Baking & Snack - February 2005 - 77

Proteins boost wheat quality

ᮡ A wheat kernel is made up mostly of
starchy endosperm.
USDA, Agricultural Research Service

attention to the cereal's protein, ﬁber and
calcium levels.
Companies wanting to add protein
to their grain-based foods can turn to
protein isolates and protein concentrates made from whey, soy and wheat.
All these forms of protein can work together, too.
"We don't view dairy protein and grain
products as competitors," said Stephen
Dott, vice-president of Grande Custom
Ingredients, Lomira, WI.
While his company's whey protein
ingredients contain a high amount of
amino acids, they do not have the level
of fiber found in grains, according to
Mr. Dott.
Main Street Ingredients, La Crosse,
WI, offers wheat protein isolates and
gluten, soy protein powders, egg albumin
and a range of dairy protein powders.
The ingredients can be used alone or in
combination to enhance protein levels of

80 / BAKING & SNACK / February 2005

While proteins are vital to the health of
humans, they can improve the quality of
wheat, too.
Scientists at the Agricultural Research
Service of the US Department of Agriculture
already know quite a bit about the gluten
proteins inside wheat. Recently, they focused
on learning more about the grain's metabolic
proteins. Although these proteins occur in
smaller amounts, they are essential to a
kernel's growth. Wheat plants need metabol
ic proteins to form gluten proteins and
make starch.
Scientists at the ARS Western Regional
Research Center's Crop Improvement and
Utilization Research Unit at Albany, CA,
grew wheat plants in greenhouses and then
separated metabolic proteins from one
another in the laboratory.
The research identiﬁed more than 200
wheat-kernel proteins and grouped them
by the task they are likely to perform. These
tasks ranged from storing carbohydrates to
protecting the kernel against insects.
The researchers called their work "proteomics,"
or the study of function, structure and location
of proteins. They are compiling a catalog of
wheat-kernel proteins called a "proteome," which
is similar to a "genome," a directory of genetic
material in a plant or animal.
They hope their ﬁndings can be used to
breed better wheat plants in the future, thus
leading to higher quality wheat ﬂour.

grain-based foods, according to Jill Rippe,
director for technical sales support.

A GAIN IN NUTRITIONAL VALUE
Protein can enhance the volume of bread,
build ﬁrmer texture in pasta and create
higher nutrition value to grain-based
foods, said Ody Maningat, Ph.D., vicepresident of application technology and
technical services for MGP Ingredients,
Atchison, KS.
"Cookies adapt easily to higher protein content," added Ms. Rippe. "It is a
clear gain in nutritional value when you
replace a portion of the high-glycemic
sugars and starches with alternative
sweeteners and protein."
Low-carb applications have not disappeared either. "Although we see some
slow down on low carb, I feel that it will
ﬁnd its own niche category," Dr. Maningat said.
Ms. Rippe noted, "Requests for low-

ᮡ USDA plant physiologist Bill Hurkman harvests a wheat head from plants grown inside
a greenhouse at a the department's Agricultural Research Service facility at Albany, CA.
USDA, Agricultural Research Service

carb grain-based foods are all but gone;
however, requests for protein-enhanced
grain-based foods are coming in. The
difference is the focus on enhancing the
nutritional quality of the food for proteinconscious market segments in ﬁtness and
health areas."
Food manufacturers will need to charge
more for protein-enriched items because
ingredient costs will run higher than for
standard formulations.
"Functionality of the dough and acceptable ﬁnished product texture and
ﬂavor are the biggest challenges," Ms.
Rippe said. "Additionally, there is the
often unanticipated surprise in the
increased cost of the product. You are
replacing inexpensive ingredients with
more expensive ingredients."

WHEY INVESTMENTS
Whey protein offers the advantages of a
clean, slightly milky ﬂavor that does not
Baking & Snack - February 2005

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