Ingredient Information

Function

Enriched bleached flour is wheat flour that has been milled, whitened and enriched with vitamins and minerals. After milling, natural wheat is not usually ready for use and has a yellowish hue because of the cartenoids left in the wheat. In order to give flour a white color, it goes through a bleaching process that involves use of a chemical, such as benzoyl peroxide, to oxidize the flour. It would take weeks to do this naturally by letting air oxidize the flour. Some common bleaching agents are benzoyl peroxide and chlorine gas.

Enriched bleached flour can refer to different varieties of flour. It could be bread flour, cake flour, pastry flour, cookie flour, all purpose flour, or any variation of these. The different types of flours depend on the type of wheat and protein content. Bread flours generally have higher protein because they require more gluten to produce the structure and texture of bread. Pastry flours have less protein because they have a softer texture and do not require as much gluten. On an ingredient statement, they would all generally read enriched bleached flour.

The flour is enriched with vitamins and minerals. The enrichment usually does not improve the flour quality; it only adds nutrition. The standard enrichment has the thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, iron and calcium. Another possible enrichment is malted barley added to hard wheat flours for enzyme activity (it converts the damaged starch into maltose and dextrins which are necessary nutrients for the yeast).

Other Use and Industries

Enriched bleached flour is only used for food in the industrial setting. However, components of wheat are used for non-food items. The by-product of wheat milling is often used in animal feed. Some wheat components are used to make edible and non-edible films and strawboard. Some home uses include making glue, play dough or a body scrub.

Health Effects

Enriched bleached flour is a refined grain. This means it is a carbohydrate, but has a high glycemic index and less fiber. It is good for energy, but not long term energy because the body will quickly utilize the sugars. The bran and the germ of the wheat contain most of the fiber and nutrients and both are removed during the milling process. For diabetics, refined grains quickly raise blood sugar levels and the body is unable to quickly restore balance because of the inability to produce enough insulin. The USDA recommends that more than half of the grains in a persons’ diet come from whole grains.

Since the flour is enriched, many diseases, such as pellagra and beriberi are no longer issues and not even well known. Both diseases are caused by B vitamin deficiencies and affect the GI system and nervous system. Also, enriched flour is a cheap source of nutrition, important for people that may not be able to afford many nutritious foods. Enriched bleached flour consists mainly of simple carbohydrates, mostly starches, and has very little fiber. This causes spikes in blood sugar levels and should be consumed in minimum amounts for diabetics.

Origins

Once the wheat is harvested, the kernel is used to make flour. It will be separated and then go through the milling process, which is done to make the flour more palatable. The endosperm is extracted from the kernel in the milling process before it is reduced into a powder. Once it has been reduced, it will be purified again to help extract as much endosperm as possible. After this process, the flour is bleached and stored to mature. Lastly, the enrichment is added and the flour is ready for use. Because bleached enriched flour consists mainly of the endosperm and has very little of the oily parts of the wheat kernel, it has a longer shelf life and more pleasing flavor.

Enrichment of flour began in the 1930’s to battle diseases brought on because of vitamin deficiency. In the 1940’s both Canada and the U.S. pushed to have all white flour enriched. The milling process of flour also depletes the wheat of nutrients; enrichment helps add these back to the flour.