Specialty Grains
By Cindy Hazen
Contributing Editor
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published jointly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture every five years, made a striking recommendation in 2005 when, for the first time, they made a distinction between whole and refined grains. Of the three to 10 recommended daily servings of grains, it is encouraged now that half come from whole grains.
Depending on calorie needs, it is suggested that all Americans over the age of 2 years should eat at least three 1-oz.-equivalent servings of grains each day. Someone with a 2,400-calorie diet should consume eight 1-oz. equivalent servings.
When it comes to grains, most consumers rely on wheat. According to Beth Arndt, manager of R&D, ConAgra Foods, Inc., Omaha, NE, 75% of the grains we eat now are wheat based. Considering that roughly two-thirds of those are refined, we’re falling short of our nutritional potential.
 Photo: Grain Foods Foundation |
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Some new white-wheat grains are helping product developers deliver the benefits of whole grains in breads that taste and feel like white. |
Most grains, including barley, millet, oat, rice, rye and wheat, are the single-seeded fruits of the grass family. However, some grains, such as amaranth, buckwheat and flax, are fruits or seeds from non-grass plants.
Grains have a bran layer composed of the seed coat and the aleurone layer, which is rich in fiber, minerals, oil, phytonutrients, protein and vitamins. The bran layer encircles the endosperm, the heart of the grain, a portion abundant in protein and carbohydrate. The tiny germ, found at the base of the grain, is a nutritional powerhouse of B vitamins, vitamin E, minerals and phytonutrients.
In refining grains, processors strip the bran and germ away, leaving only the endosperm. Dave Green, director of quality control and laboratory services, ADM, Decatur, IL, suggests that grains have been refined because of taste. “I think, historically, as soon as the millers in the Middle Ages started to find a way to sift out some of the bran when they had stone mills, that flour became the preferable item,” he says. Besides having a milder taste, flour with decreased bran is more shelf-stable because the oils that are susceptible to oxidation are removed. Refined flour also makes for better bread because of its enhanced ability to yeast-rise and produce gluten.
Yet, bread made from refined flour is nutritionally short-changed, since it is missing the vitamins, oil, minerals and phytonutrients that were resident in the bran and germ. How can the food industry increase consumption of whole-grain nutrients when the American palate has shown a preference for refined goods? There are two ways to meet this challenge: increase consumption of whole grain wheat products and look at alternative grains.
A better wheat flour
If consumers prefer refined white wheat flour, the product-development challenge is to provide the nutritional benefits of whole grain while retaining the flavor and textural attributes of refined flour. Whole-grain white-wheat flour provides a solution. Glen Weaver, director of technical services, ConAgra Foods, Omaha, NE, says its Ultragrain product is the result of the development of both the process and the raw material. He says developing such a product requires review of the process and the raw material. “The initial variety of wheat was selected on functional performance, flavor characteristics and color,” he says. “We looked at over 100 varieties. We started years ago, because when you’re dealing with genetics, it’s a long time process.”
 Photo: Interstate Bakeries, Corporation |
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Reformulating bread with white-wheat flour can involve some processing changes, such as possible supplementing some gluten and adding more water. |
Review of the processing phase involved examining the textural impact. “Commonly, whole-wheat products were ground from fine to coarse granulations,” Weaver continues. “Frankly, they weren’t fine enough for about 60% to 70% of the population who currently don’t consume whole grains, because they didn’t meet their texture expectations or their expectations for flavor and color.”
ADM offers a similar product called Kansas Diamond. Green agrees grain selection for this type of product is important. The difference between whole-grain white wheat flour and a regular whole flour is that regular whole-wheat flours have always been made out of red wheat,” says Green. “This is made out of white wheat. The other difference, of course, is that it’s a very fine granulation.” The ADM product has 12.5% protein. Whole-grain white wheat flour has several different applications, Green says: “It’s currently being used in breads. We think it has more of an application for some of the flat products, pizzas and tortillas in particular. That’s where the color difference and the appearance show up a little better. It’s darker than a white flour: It is a shade of tan in between white flour and whole-wheat flour.” He notes that the taste differs from that of a red whole wheat flour: “It’s not as wheaty. Some people want to call it sweeter, but it’s a less-bitter taste than a traditional whole-wheat flour.”
Green advises that the absorption on these products is higher than regular whole wheat. He suggests using 3% to 5% more water. “With a whole grain, when it’s used at 100%, it does require gluten supplementation,” he says. “I think that the fiber is so fine that it’s inhibiting the formation of gluten. Most people are using it as a percentage rather than as a 100% whole grain.”
Any whole-wheat-type product has some formulation and processing aspects to keep in mind, says Harold Ward, manager of technical services, ConAgra Foods: “First and foremost is the increase in absorption characteristics and the need for water. Wholegrain flours tend to take up a lot more water than standard white flour. Possibly, things to strengthen your dough system—whether oxidation systems, dough strengtheners or even vital wheat gluten—are certainly ingredients you can use in any type of whole-wheat system.” Processing parameters also need adjustments. He notes that products using whole-grain flours have reduced mix requirements compared to systems utilizing white flour.
ConAgra’s offering in the category is available in a hard winter wheat with 13.5% protein, and a soft white wheat with 10.0% protein. Ward says the hard-white version has been used in everything from pan bread to hearth-type products, pizza, pastas and bagels. The soft-wheat version works well in pie crust, donuts, cookies and crackers.
Weaver stresses that the product can be used in a lot of different ways. “You can use this as a primary or supporting ingredient,” he says. “It can be used in relatively low levels of inclusion or high levels of inclusion, or it can be utilized with other particulated material.” A good example would be an oatmeal cookie where whole-grain rolled oats would be added to the whole white-wheat flour.
The technology behind the whole white-wheat flours need not be limited to wheat. “There have been inquires about what we can do with other grains,” says Weaver. “Barley and some other grains could easily be included in multigrain products and could add flavor or nutritional differences.”
Oats and barley grow
One reason to eat a variety of grains is they possess different nutritional attributes. According to Arndt, grains are known for certain nutritional parameters. “Wheat is known to be very high in insoluble fiber and is really the king when it comes to digestive health. (Whole-grain wheat flour has 10.8% insoluble fiber.) Oats and barley are both known for their beta-glucan.”
This has led to oats and barley sharing a common health claim. On Dec. 23, 2005, the FDA announced that, as with foods containing oats, the label for foods containing at least 0.75 grams per serving of soluble fiber from barley can carry a heart-health benefit when consumed as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Most barley has 10% to 12% fiber and beta-glucan levels between 4% to 6%. “Barley comes in a number of formats,” Bill Bonner, director of R&D and technical services, ConAgra Foods, explains. Pearled barley is the white, rounded product remaining after processors remove the outer layer. It’s often used in soup and dry-mix products. “Barley flour is probably used mostly in baby food applications,” says Bonner. “Barley flour can also be used in extruded ready-to-eat cereals and snacks. Barley flakes are often seen in multigrain formats with oat and wheat combinations. Most multigrain hot cereals have all three products: oats, barley and wheat.”
ConAgra mills a traditional barley, but also has a unique barley product derived from selective plant breeding. “The Sustagrain barley is a conventionally developed, identity-preserved product,” says Bonner. “It has 30% total dietary fiber and 15% soluble fiber. That is basically three times the concentration of those two available fiber components. We’ve selected the plant breeding.”
Special types of barley have been around for a millennium, according to Christine Fastnaught, Ph.D., research consultant, National Barley Foods Council, Fargo, ND. “Many of them go back to barley varieties that were grown in Tibet,” she says. “There are companies that have been working with the breeding effort, and we’re seeing production of those varieties. A number of companies can see the utility of having a barley that has the higher fiber that they can then blend with other ingredients such as corn, rice and wheat. They would still be able to get a claim, even though there’s not 100% barley in the product. It would be more difficult to use with a regular barley that we just use for malting or for feed.” Obtaining fiber levels sufficient to meet a health claim is more difficult when using regular barley.
Using a hull-less variety preserves the whole-grain character. “We don’t need to pearl it, and therefore it remains whole grain in all of the process forms,” says Arndt. She says that is an important advantage compared to a hulled variety.
ConAgra’s specialty barley has a unique carbohydrate composition. “Not only is the fiber very high, but it has 30% or less starch,” says Arndt. “That’s about half the starch content compared to other common cereal grains. The protein content is at least 18%, and it’s a high-lysine protein, so it has more protein value compared to other common cereal grains. Because of the carbohydrate composition, it really has some special nutritional characteristics. It can easily be used in foods to manage blood sugar. Because of its high fiber content, it works well for gastrointestinal or digestive health. With the high soluble-fiber content, it is excellent for heart health. “Only 5 grams of this barley is needed per serving—as well as meeting the other health claim parameters—to achieve the 0.75 grams of soluble fiber for the new heart health claim,” she notes.
A multigrain cereal made with a two-thirds blend of oats and one-third blend of ConAgra’s high-fiber barley would double the beta glucan and dietary fiber, according to Bonner. “As a hot cereal it is available in flaked form,” he says. “It can be blended with other flakes in hot cereals and baking applications for visual appearance similar to rolled oats in an oatmeal cookie. The only place it’s going to be used at 100% is probably in some kind of a hot-cereal application. However, in baked goods, in extruded or expanded products, it’s probably going to be used somewhere between the 15% to 40% level. The lower level of carbohydrate lowers some of the food functionality in baked applications, and expansion and extrusion for cereals and snacks. Any bread or expanded cereal product would be fairly dense, and the texture would not be acceptable.” In pasta applications, this barley has been used in the 20% to 30% range.
“We’ve used it in cookies, crackers and tortillas at inclusion levels of 20% to 30%,” continues Arndt. “You can use a high amount of Sustagrain in pilafs and soups.” Vegetarian burgers are another application that this grain has worked well in.
Potential uses are wide-ranging because Sustagrain is available in a variety of forms: whole, flakes, steel-cut and flour. Bonner sees unique applications using a very fine granulation. Smoothie-type beverages are a potential application. “It can also be used in puddings,” he says. “It probably has as much value in the nutraceutical profile products as it does in regular food products. We see a lot of interest in those areas, both from a fine flour for the beverage as well as in bar applications, usually in the form of flakes for the bars.”
Tortillas with 100% barley would have a darker color. However, the soluble fiber present in barley enhances tortilla pliability. Fastnaught recommends a 50% blend. “I would recommend the same for snack products,” she says. Snack products can be difficult to formulate to produce a health claim, because their fat and sodium levels are often too high. “In the future, we may see ways to develop snack products that you can use a claim,” she continues.
“Barley mixes extremely well with corn, say 50:50, to make a Cheetos-type product. I think this is an area we really want to push.” An easy way to increase fiber in the diet is to add barley to pilafs and rice blends, Fastnaught says. “In Asia, they mix barley with rice and have blends in the grocery store. If you’re using pearled barley, the cooking time is going to be similar to rice. A typical pearled barley is going to have about 10% fiber, whereas the rice is going to have less than 1% fiber.” Pearled barley cooks in 50 to 60 minutes. Wild rice cooks in the same amount of time. Brown rice cooks in 45 minutes.
Compared to oats and other grains, barley is unique in that the fiber is not just found outside the grain. “The fiber is located throughout the grain in the endosperm, where the starch and the protein tend to primarily be located,” says Fastnaught. “That means that we can produce product that you might call refined, and they have a very good level of fiber.” Unlike grains like wheat or corn where processers take off the outer layer, refined barley will contain a lot of nutritional benefit,” she says. Barley’s soluble fiber can also mimic oil’s effects in baked goods, allowing a reduction in fat content. “We were making muffins where, if we decreased the oil, we actually got a much better muffin than if we just used the standard recipe,” she says. “In a muffin, I’d go as high as a 50% reduction.”
Bonner predicts that consumer awareness of barley will increase because of the FDA ruling. Consumers will be exposed to a lot of information over the next six months. “Barley is probably the lowest consumed product out there,” he says. “It’s concentrated in soups and in baby foods. It doesn’t have a lot of current applications, but I think you’ll see a lot of it as we go into whole grains. It’s going to be a very unique whole grain that’s going to go forward.”
Oat consumption has risen significantly in the last three to four years after tailing off for a couple of years, according to Weaver. “The biggest expanded use of oats over the last few years is in cereal bars. It’s a very healthy product. It’s very apparent in the product and most people have built their cereal bars around visual identification of oat cereal pieces. You want to connote the healthiness of the whole grain in these kinds of products, and oats certainly do that.”
Most oats are consumed as flakes. Oats are available as whole grain, “but most of the whole-grain oats would be rolled into flakes,” says Bonner. How the oat is processed is simply a matter of the original piece size. A whole oat piece makes an old-fashioned flake, he continues. “You will cut the whole oat piece into two to three pieces to make the other two products, and then it’s just a matter of how thick you flake them.” The thinnest pieces cook fastest.
A small volume of oats is available as steel cut. This is referred to as Scottish-type oatmeal. Preparation as a hot cereal takes 20 minutes to an hour. Most oats are sold as old-fashioned oats (5 minute cook), quick oats (1 minute cook) or instant oats (cooked by the addition of hot water). Oat flour is available to manufacturers. Products like Cheerios™ are high-oat-flour-containing products.
Oats have a stronger flavor than barley, Bonner notes. “They’re somewhat toasted in the process, when we deactivate the enzymes in oats. Oats have 7% oil throughout the entire oat berry, whereas in wheat it is concentrated just in the germ area. We deactivate the enzymes so it doesn’t act on the oil in oat products. You get some of a toasted note when we deactivate the enzymes.”
The protein level of oats is typically around 14%. Oats contain 10% fiber. A total of 4% of the fiber is soluble; 6% is insoluble.
Giving rye a try
In the upper European countries, grain consumption is roughly 80% rye based and 20% wheat based. Rye is much less understood, much less utilized, in the United States.
“Rye does have a stronger flavor than wheat,” says Ward. Often in the United States, the flavor that consumers associate with rye is not actually rye, she cautions. “It’s caraway. Most of the rye breads are made with quite a bit of caraway in them.”
Besides bread, some multigrain cereals contain rye. Processors provide a variety of particle sizes of rye, from a refined to a medium-dark rye, to pumpernickel, or coarser-type flakes. “Pumpernickel is the coarser flour. Pumpernickel would be a really dark flour,” explains Ward. “It has more of the bran layer. Rye is available from a couple of different kinds of flours, from the white rye to the dark rye flour.”
The protein in rye is typically 15% to 16%. Rye has 16% fiber. “Compared to wheat, it’s going to be higher in soluble fibers,” Weaver says. Whole-grain wheat flour has 1.4% soluble fiber. Whole-grain rye flour has 4.1% soluble fiber. When formulating breads with rye or barley, wheat flour should be added to the product to provide gluten. “Oats, barley and other grains that you may put in there do not have the gluten-forming capabilities and are going to make up a smaller proportion,” advises Ward. “There are some folks making breads out of 100% rye, but what you tend to get is a very dense, heavy product.
For the most part, breads in the United States are maybe 15% to 30% rye flour, and the remainder of the flour is made up of wheat flour. It’s not to say that you can’t make bread-type products with 100% of some of these grains, but what you are going to get is not what we’re used to getting, and you’re going to have a very dense, heavy product.”
Just because they require added gluten for baking doesn’t mean some grains don’t contain small amounts of gluten-forming proteins. “We have to point out that people who are avoiding gluten in the diet should avoid wheat, barley, rye and oats—all of those. Even in rye there are some gluten-forming proteins, just at a very low level,” cautions Arndt.
Ancient grains rediscovered
Amaranth and quinoa fall into the category called “ancient grains,” according to Rick Hanson, vice president sales and operations, Hesco, Inc., Watertown, SD. Amaranth was prized by the Aztecs, while quinoa was a favorite of the Incan culture. As small seeds, they are similar in appearance. “When you put amaranth and quinoa together, unless you’re a really good grain guy, it’s hard to tell the difference, because it’s a very small kernel,” says Hanson. Flavor will set them apart, since amaranth is often described as having a peppery taste.
Diane Walters, vice president marketing, Nu-World Amaranth, Inc., Naperville, IL, says “amaranth has a unique whole-grain flavor with a slightly toasty, slightly nutty flavor note.” Amaranth and quinoa are largely imported.
Perhaps the two grains were so valued by ancient cultures because of their superior nutritional profiles. “Amaranth is a powerhouse of a food,” says Walters. “Whole-grain amaranth offers higher amounts of dietary fiber, iron and calcium than most other grains. It contains higher amounts of a distinctive array of additional vitamins and minerals, including niacin, magnesium and zinc.”
According to the USDA Nutrient Database, 100 grams of quinoa contain 60 mg calcium, 9.25 mg iron and 410 mg phosphorous. Dave Schnorr, president, Quinoa Corporation, Gardena, CA, says “it’s a complete protein. It contains all of the essential amino acids.” Quinoa contains 16.2% protein, more protein than any other grain.
Amaranth contains 14% protein. The protein of both grains are high in lysine, methionine and cysteine, making them more complete than most grains. Amaranth contains 15% fiber, of which 3% is soluble. Quinoa has 6% fiber. “Using amaranth as a 25% replacement in an all-wheat formulation can give you over a 6% increase in fiber and an 87% increase in calcium,” according to Walters. “Amaranth is outstanding from a functional-food standpoint. It works extremely well in almost any industrial application, from baby food and yogurts to cereals, snacks and baked goods.”
Quinoa can be used in cereal or side dishes, says Hanson. Flakes are available for use in cereals. The grains can be cooked in 10 to 12 minutes for a side dish. The light grains, similar in appearance to sesame seeds, make a perfect salad topper. They also can be added to soups.
Schnorr advises using quinoa in place of rice. “It can be used just like rice in any recipe you would use rice. It cooks in half the time of regular rice (12 to 15 minutes). It’s a little bit smaller than rice. Some people combine the two.”
Both quinoa and amaranth are ideal grains for those who must maintain a gluten-free lifestyle. “Most gluten-free products are corn-, rice-, potato- or soy-based,” says Walters. “Amaranth offers a higher degree of nutrition and variety compared to corn and rice and also holds its own compared to soy and potato. In creating gluten-free products, it combines well with rice flour, corn flour, sorghum and a variety of other gluten-free sources. Advantage can also be taken of amaranth’s superior nutritional profile to boost specific nutritional aspects of a product, such as the iron content of a snack product or flatbread. Those with celiac disease also have difficulty getting enough fiber, iron and calcium in their diets. Amaranth provides all three in abundance.”
Amaranth flour, toasted amaranth-bran flour and puffed amaranth are good ingredients for flat breads, in quick breads, cookies, cakes, granolas, granola bars, snacks or in other applications. Both flours can be successfully used at a 5% to 30% replacement in chemically leavened or yeast-raised breads. Walters says, “If you are making a bread that contains gluten, as is found in wheat, for instance, the yeast or baking powder functions as a leavening agent. If you are making a gluten-free bread, however, xanthan gum or some type of starch must be added to have successful rising. Puffed amaranth can also be added to any bread product as a topping or to add a pleasant ‘soft crunch’ within the product.”
Grain futures
Arndt sees that we have a long way to go to meet the recommended three servings a day of whole grain. “Seventy-five percent of the grains we eat right now are wheat based, so there’s a lot of room for growth for the other grains. As a supplier of whole grains, we’re getting questions about inclusion levels. What inclusion level should we go for and what kind of claims can we make? How much fiber does it deliver? What we’ve seen change over the last couple of years is really the big emphasis on the nutritional aspect.”
There is emphasis on the number of grams of fiber per serving and the various sources of fiber, according to Weaver. “I think the one thing that’s coming to light is that these natural fiber sources such as wheat, oats and barley certainly bring more to the party with other nutrients besides strictly fiber. I think you’ll probably start seeing a migration away from some of the processed fibers to more natural sources of fibers because there is nutritional value in there. When we look at the antioxidant value in whole grains, they are a lot higher than a lot of products that are commonly associated as very high in antioxidant levels, such as blueberries. Whole grains are pretty much comparable to blueberries.” On a dry-weight basis, some varieties of brown sorghum, for example, have been measured at from 2,000 to over 3,000 ORAC units per gram, in testing done by Lloyd W. Rooney, professor, Cereal Quality Labortory, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station.
In general, optimum nutrition comes from antioxidants derived from various sources: vegetables, fruits and grains. Combining grains can help achieve an improved balance of fiber, antioxidants and other phytonutrients.
Weaver believes most of the marketing will be around very simple multigrain messages, rather than touting specific grains such as rye, barley or oats. “Marketers will want to keep the message very believable and very simple,” he says.
Indeed, the multigrain concept may be the best way to reach American consumers who are less willing to experiment with exotic grains.
Cindy Hazen, a 20-year veteran of the food industry, is a freelance writer based in Memphis, TN. She can be reached at cindyhazen@cs.com.
Fine Grain Ideas
Don’t stop at wheat, rye, barley, oats, amaranth or quinoa. There’s a whole field of different grains to explore—some heirloom, some of more recent vintage—when developing new whole-grain products. These can yield a new twist on the familiar or hearken back to the traditional dishes of their roots. (Information is courtesy of Oldways Preservation Trust and the Whole Grains Council; more details can be found on their website, www.wholegrainscouncil.org.)
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) Buckwheat goes beyond pancake mixes: Japan’s soba noodles, Brittany’s cràpes and Russia’s kasha are made with buckwheat. Botanically, buckwheat is a cousin of rhubarb, not a grain, but its nutrients, nutty flavor and appearance have led to its adoption into the family of grains.
Bulgur (Triticum spp.) Bulgur is most often made from durum wheat, but almost any wheat can be used. Because bulgur has been precooked and dried, it needs to be boiled for only about 10 minutes, making bulgur a nutritious food for quick side dishes, pilafs or salads. Bulgur’s best-known use is in tabbouleh.
Corn (Zea mays mays) Though sometimes dismissed as a nutrient-poor starch, corn is lately being viewed as a healthy food. Treating corn with alkali creates masa harina and hominy and liberates the niacin. Eating corn with beans creates a complementary mix of amino acids that raises the protein value.
Emmer, Farro (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccum) Emmer, an ancient strain of wheat, has been replaced by higher-yielding strains, except in Ethiopia, where it still constitutes about 7% of the wheat grown. In Italy, it is known as farro or grano farro. Semolina flour from emmer is still used for special soups and other dishes in Tuscany and Umbria, and farro is thought by some to make the best pasta.
Grano (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) When durum wheat kernels are lightly polished, they become grano, a side-dish full of nutty flavor and al dente texture. Minimal processing means that some of the outer casing is removed to cut cooking time to about 30 minutes. In Italy, grano predates pasta, but is still enjoyed in traditional dishes.
Kamut® grain (Triticum turgidum ssp. turanicum) Kamut grain is another heirloom grain. Years of selecting, testing and propagating brought Kamut, an ancient Egyptian word for wheat, to prominence. Today, millions of pounds of this rich, buttery-tasting wheat are grown on organic farms and made into whole-grain products.
Millet (Panicum miliaceum) Millet is the leading staple grain in India, and is commonly eaten in China, South America, Russia and the Himalayas. Millet has a mild flavor and is often mixed with other grains or toasted before cooking to bring out the full extent of its delicate flavor. Its tiny grain can be white, gray, yellow or red.
Rice (Oryza sativa) White rice is refined, with the germ and bran removed. Whole-grain rice is usually brown, but can also be black, purple, red or a variety of hues. Converted rice is parboiled before refining, which drives some of the B vitamins into the endosperm so that they are not lost when the bran is removed, making converted rice healthier than regular white rice. Brown rice is lower in fiber than most other whole grains.
Sorghum,Milo (Sorghum spp.) Worldwide, about 50% of sorghum goes to human consumption, but most of the U.S. crop is fed to animals or finds industrial use. Sorghum,also called milo, can be eaten like popcorn, cooked into porridge, ground into flour for baked goods or brewed into beer.
Spelt (Triticum aestivum spelta) Spelt is a variety of wheat formerly widely cultivated. It can replace common wheat in most recipes. It is higher in protein than common wheat. Anecdotal reports say some people sensitive to wheat can tolerate spelt, but no reliable medical studies have addressed that issue.
Teff (Eragrostis tef) Teff is the principal source of nutrition for approximately two-thirds of Ethiopians, who make it into spongy injera flatbread. The grains are 1/150 the size of wheat kernels. Today it gets attention for its sweet, molasses-like flavor and versatility; it can be cooked as porridge, added to baked goods, or made into “teff polenta.” Teff grows in three colors: red, brown and white.
Triticale (x Triticosecale rimpaui) Triticale, a hybrid of durum wheat and rye, has been grown commercially for thirty-five years. About 80% of the world’s crop is grown in Europe. It grows easily without commercial fertilizers and pesticides, making it ideal for organic farming. Bioavailability of triticale protein is slightly higher than soybeans and much higher than wheat.
Wild rice (Zizania spp.) Wild rice is not technically rice at all, but the seed of an aquatic grass. The strong flavor and high price of wild rice mean that it is most often consumed in a blend with other rices or other grains. Wild rice has twice the protein and fiber of brown rice, but less iron and calcium.
—Lynn A. Kuntz
