The Hamburg, Germany-based company – a JV between GoodMills Group and Palsgaard – has created an ‘ancient grain’ wheat that does not contain the D genome, which – while giving gluten its good baking properties – also causes digestive discomfort for many people.
The company said the wheat flour it is commericializing using these strains is easy to process and produces bakery products with a similar taste and texture to those made using traditional wheat.
It is lower in FODMAPS – short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine – than modern bread wheat or spelt.
Wheat of the future
It’s in the genes
GoodMills Innovation collaborated with scientists, grain breeders and nutritionists to select the ancient 2ab Wheat variety from hundreds of alternatives.
“Our 2ab Wheat is the result of 20 years of research for a better tolerated wheat. We selected the most nutritious and digestible variety from hundreds of crops with the overarching intention of selecting a product that was easy and comfortable to use by bakers,” Gusko told BakeryandSnacks.
Einkorn, the forefather of modern wheat that naturally developed more than 10 million years ago, contained a double set of A genomes. Seven millions years later, einkorn crossed with a wild grass, and emmer was born, combining Eikorn’s AA genomes with its own BB genomes.
2ab Wheat only contains these genomes.
GoodMills is targeting 2ab Wheat (Triticum turgidum forma sanum) at both artisanal and industrial bakers and will launch it at Food Ingredients Europe to be held in Frankfurt, Germany, in November.
According to Michael Gusko, MD of GoodMills Innovation, 2ab Wheat (so named because it contains only the original wheat genes A and B) is the wheat of the future.
“Bakers now have a solution for customers who react sensitive to wheat or who prefer original grain varieties,” he said, noting that initial feedback from bakers has been positive.
The wheat gives baked goods a full-bodied taste and a soft golden crumb and is well tolerated, even by food-sensitive eaters.
The 2ab principal
According to GoodMills, 2ab Wheat follows an intensive quality philosophy, from cultivation to milling to even preparation by individual bakers.
It is cultivated in regions with relatively stable growing conditions so the FODMAP level in the grain does not deviate by more than 1g.
“In terms of crop breeding, even a few hundred kilometres can have huge effects on the FODMAP content. For this reason, 2ab Wheat is bred only in selected European regions,” said Gusko.
“It’s milled separately and – to further lower the FODMAP content in the final product – fermented gently before delivery to bakers,” he added.
List of no-no’s
The company expects bakers using 2ab Wheat to follow strict guidelines to ensure D-gluten is not added, and the following raw materials are prohibited:
- Bread wheat (contains D genome and FODMAPs)
- Spelt (contains D genome and FODMAPs)
- Durum wheat (high FODMAPs)
- Einkorn wheat (very rich in FODMAPs)
- Rye (extremely rich in FODMAPs)
- Dairy products (lactose, FODMAPs)
- Gluten (contains D genome)
- Commercially available bakery improvers (contains D genome and FODMAPs)
Maize, rice and oats are grains approved for use, as are specific yeasts and enzymes that can support the reduction of FODMAPs in the dough.
As such, baked goods made from 2ab Wheat can tap clean label trends, said the company.