Formulating With Whole Grains

By Elizabeth Fuhrman, Contributing Editor

Since its release, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have helped increase the use of whole grains in food products and made consumers more aware of the benefits of whole grains as a source of fiber, minerals and vitamins. In the guidelines, USDA encourages Americans to consume at least half of all grains as whole grains, and increase whole grain intake by replacing refined grains with whole grains.

Another force is also increasing awareness of whole grainsthe National School Lunch Program. New school-food rules require that at least half the grain foods served to children be whole grain-rich." Whole grain-rich foods may contain less than 100% whole grains, but generally contain at least 51% whole grains. The National School Lunch Program requires that, by 2014, all grain foods served must be whole grain-rich.

With this guaranteed school market now available, reformulation efforts are gaining even more momentum," says Cynthia Harriman, director, food and nutrition strategies, Oldways and the Whole Grains Council, Boston. Products retooled for the schools will spill over into other markets, making more good whole-grain products available to everyone."

Despite USDA recommendations, most consumers are not eating enough whole grains; however, the food industry is working to modify this trend.

Dietary advice helps, as does a mechanism for reliably identifying whole grains, but there's a third part to the equation, too," Harriman says. In order for consumers to go back to the store and buy that product again, the product needs to be delicious and affordable. Manufacturers have made huge headway in reformulating products to contain more whole grain, while retaining the flavors and textures that consumers love."

Consumer confusion

FDA's definition of a whole grain includes cereal grains that consist of the intact, ground, cracked or flaked fruit of the grains whose principal componentsthe starchy endosperm, germ and branare present in the same relative proportions as they exist in the intact grain. This  definition allows whole grains to be processed in many ways, such as being crushed, cracked, chopped, rolled and ground into fine particle sizes, as long as all the parts remain undamaged and in proportion.

On the other hand, the definition of a whole-grain food is much less uniform. Schools have their definition of whole-grain-rich, while the FDA has another definition for use of the whole-grain health claim (51% of all ingredients are whole grains and those whole-grain ingredients have to contain at least 11% dietary fiber). The Dietary Guidelines and the Whole Grains Stamp, created by the Whole Grain Council, advise looking for foods with at least 8 grams of whole grain. Statements, such as multigrain, also can cause confusion, because consumers might not know the grain content unless it is clearly stated.

Overall, it looks like where we are headed is that a whole-grain food will have at least half or more of the grain ingredients as whole grain," says Beth Arndt, Ph.D., director, R&D, ConAgra Mills, Omaha, NE. The industry is really looking hard into this, because in the end, consumers look on the product label for cues on how to tell."

Even if consumers don't understand the definition of a whole grain or a whole-grain food, seeing whole-grain" wording on a package is  meaningful for them.

Demand will continue to grow if consumers can clearly identify whole-grain foods and understand what that means," says Jeff Casper, M.S., R&D manager, Horizon Milling (a Cargill joint venture), Minneapolis.

Growing whole grains

Consumption of all whole grains is increasing as more whole-wheat products are being developed. Whole-wheat flour remains the most popular whole grain used in food products, followed by whole-grain corn, oats, rye and barley.

In bakery products, wheat remains the primary grain source because its functionality is so important to achieving the volume and texture we have become accustomed to in bakery products," says Brook Carson, M.S., technical product manager, ADM Milling, Decatur, IL. Additional grains have found their way into bakery products and have provided new and interesting flavors and textures. There is a huge opportunity for growth for whole grains as meal centers or side dishes. A variety of whole grains are being used in pastas, pilafs and salads."

Last year, corn, rice, barley, wheat and oat, followed by flaxseed, rye, quinoa, millet and amaranth, were the top 10 whole grains featured in new food products in the United States, according to Innova Market Insights, Duiven, The Netherlands. While starting from a small base, quinoa was one whole grain that saw its usage uptick in new food products in 2011, and is growing in popularity in foodservice, as well. The National Restaurant Associations 2012 Whats Hot survey of 1,800 chefs ranked non-wheat noodles (e.g., quinoa, rice, buckwheat) as the No. 1 top trend for sides/starches, and quinoa, alone, as the No. 3 top trend for sides/starches. In addition, the survey placed ancient grains (e.g., khorasan wheat, spelt and amaranth) as the No. 3 trend in other food items/ingredients.

Generally, what starts in the culinary world ends up translating over to retail," Arndt says.

Well-educated, higher income consumers are looking for more exotic grains at retail, because they have been exposed to them at restaurants, says Len Marquart, Ph.D., R.D., associate professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota,, St. Paul, MN. Its an opportunity for people to enjoy grains that are pretty palatable and friendly," he says.

While ancient grains, such as quinoa and amaranth, are growing in popularity, these niche grains are not necessarily going to be the majority grain used in a product, particularly in bakery.

For bakery products, whole wheat can be viewed as the canvas, and other whole grains typically are used as the paint on the palette to create a variety of textures and flavors, because now formulators can not only choose from grain types but they can choose from forms," Casper explains. There are cracked grains, flaked grains and whole seeds, in addition to the flours that can be used. These materials can be further processed, for example, being toasted, to create a wide range of flavors, tastes and textures."

Exotic grains also can be cost prohibitive to use at high levels. Many of these ancient grains are sourced from other parts of the world, which creates challenges for meeting rapidly increasing demand outside of their native countries.

As formulators begin to understand how to use these grains and forms of grains, they can take more expensive grains and use them for color, flavor and texture accents, and the costs of these materials can be minimized while their effects are maximized," Casper says.

Expanding reach

Last year, new food launches making a whole-grain claim saw an increase of 3% from 2010, up 9% over the previous year, according to Mintel Internationals Global New Products Database. The top categories for new products featuring whole-grain ingredients include bakery, breakfast cereals and snacks, with side dishes and meals/entrèes gaining quickly.

Pastas and tortillas also are featuring more whole-grain ingredients, Arndt says. Baking mixes and frozen entrèes and meals, which include ready-made sandwiches and pastas, also hold opportunities for including more whole grains, she says.

With the changing school-nutrition standards, formulators will be motivated to include more whole grains in pizza crust, tortillas, taco shells, bars, breading, crackers, cookies, extruded snacks and breakfast items, such as waffles and pancakes, Casper says.

Obviously, with schools, these products will need to meet kids expectations for color, taste and texture," he says.  

Going forward, the snack segment offers a high potential market for the inclusion of whole grains, as well. Consumers are looking for healthier snacks that are convenient and deliver value," Carson says. When you think about nutrient density and satiety and how they relate to the perceived value of a snack item, whole grains have an important role to play in the development of these products."

The gluten-free food category is expected to continue to grow as well, which has pioneered the use of many lessor used whole grains. Formulating gluten-free bakery items can be so difficult that the whole grain aspect often gets overlooked.

In the past, many of these products were made from refined starches and had really low fiber or low-micronutrient density, so the use of whole-grain flours or even some of these other forms of whole grains from a variety of sources, like brown rice, quinoa, millet and sorghum, can really contribute to a healthier product for that segment," Casper says.

Many food manufacturers, though, have taken the approach of converting a well-loved product into a whole-grain product, which gives consumers a point of comparison. But that might not be the best approach.

Some of the bigger opportunities are going to be in creating new products that were formulated as whole-grain products to begin with, because consumers, first of all, dont have a reference point and, secondly, formulators can create a product thats been formulated around the material," Casper says. You can really create a product that is optimized as a whole-grain product vs. trying to create an invisible version of whole grain."

With increased whole-grain food introductions, the food industry has a tremendous opportunity to be able to improve consumers eating habits.

With more whole-grain foods available to consumers that are tasty and affordable, and that they actually desire, we're going to more likely have an impact on encouraging the general consumer to meet the dietary guidelines by simply increasing the availability of whole-grain foods in the marketplace," Marquart says. Simply getting more whole grains into products and gradually allowing the consumer to adapt to that taste will be just a huge contribution." 

Processing challenges

While all whole grains are similar, they each have unique characteristics that formulators must  keep in mind during processing. Some functionality differences when working with whole grains include changes in texture, water absorption and strength. In general, whole grains absorb more water, so mix times and mixing tolerance for whole grains can be different than refined grains. Higher water absorption also can affect bake time. Balancing the granulation of the whole grain, the amount of water required and added time to allow for proper absorption are all ways to resolve changes in the finished product texture.

A whole-wheat flour does not produce the same texture as a milled white flour because it doesnt form as much gluten upon mixing, even if the protein content is the same. The bran particles in whole wheat can have sharp edges that cut through gluten strands as they form. Plus, whole wheat contains proteins from the bran and the germ, which are different from those in the endosperm and do not form gluten.

In some cases, choosing a particular variety of whole grain will have an effect on flavor.

The flavor difference is typically due to the additional tannins found in the bran of the grain," Carson says. Whiter whole grain varieties typically contain fewer tannins, which results in a less bitter taste. Taste can also be overcome with added sweetness or with a masking agent."

Another challenge for formulators is getting used to working with a new whole grain.

Understanding the differences in rates of hydration, adjusting ingredients for optimum texture and making small changes to processing steps are all important to working with whole grains."

Particle size of the bran also impacts the performance of a baked product, as well as visual appearance.

Many millers are looking to create a better, more uniform visual appearance by using a fine particle size," Casper says. There is an optimal window for bran particle size for the volume or the baked performance. If the particle sizes are too small or too large it can impact baked performance."

Another factor to consider when formulating with whole grains is the level of use. Some food applications are simply better-suited for a made with whole grains" approach, while others are more easily formulated as 100% whole-grain products.

Are you going for 100% whole grain or 51% whole grain or a transitional product with 20% to 30% whole grain?" Arndt asks. All of those play into changes that must be made to the formula and processing, as well as to the attributes of the finished product. It really depends on who the target consumer is and what the end goals are."

Depending on the product, the shelf life also could change when formulating with whole grains. This is largely dependent on the amount of unsaturated fat present, which is subject to oxidative rancidity. Each whole grain has a unique shelf life, with some whole grains naturally having a longer shelf than others, which translates to the end product.

For whole-grain ingredients, we've really got to optimize the supply chain so manufacturers are using them in the right shelf life range," Arndt says. There also may need to be some adjustments in the finished product."

Elizabeth Fuhrman, a Chicago-based freelance writer and editor, has been writing about food and beverage development for 10 years. She holds a B.S. in Journalism from Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. She can be reached at [email protected].

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