What is the difference between wholemeal bread and white bread? What are the advantages of using wholemeal flour?

SITI NOORSUHAIDA ABD.RAHMAN, Malaysia

White flour and wholemeal flour are the two main types of wheat flour. In the production of wholemeal flour the whole grain is used. This type of flour has an extraction rate of 100%, which means nothing is removed during milling. White flour is refined. The bran and nutrient-packed germ are separated from the rest of the grain losing many nutrients. There are also different types of flour between these two main types. What is commonly called “brown flour” has a higher extraction rate than white flour. It contains more bran and this gives the flour darker colour. The wholemeal flour contains all parts of the grain: the fibre-rich bran (outer layer), the endosperm (middle layer) and the germ (inner layer). The bran provides fibre, B vitamins, minerals, protein and other phytochemicals. The endosperm contains carbohydrates, proteins and small amounts of B vitamins. The germ is packed with minerals, B vitamins, vitamin E and other phytochemicals. Whole grain foods are an important part of the diet because they provide many nutrients. The regular consumption of whole grain foods has been linked by researchers to a reduction of several diseases including heart disease and cancer, especially colon cancer.