Flour or oat flakes? Whole wheat flour or wheat bran? Corn germ? You've probably come across these names in a recipe or on grocery store shelves. But after all, what are the differences between these products? Which one is the best? In fact, flours, bran and flakes are originally prepared from cereal grains. Today these names have jumped the barrier of plant classification and are also used for other types of food, such as soy, peanuts, nuts and even animal products (there is bone meal, eggshell flour and others). It's hard to say which form of presentation is better than the other. It would be more accurate to say that each one is good for its application. They all have their importance. In this text, we are going to talk about the main differences between flours, bran and flakes.
Starting with flour, it is produced from the endosperm and germ of the grain, these being the innermost parts. In order to get that deep, the grains go through the milling process followed by refining. However, the refining ends up removing the fibres and concentrating carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and minerals, that is, it increases the caloric content of the final product. There are different types of flour, for example, manioc flour, wheat, corn, oats, almonds etc. They are commonly used in the production of bread, pasta, biscuits and cakes.
It is also possible to find unconventional flours produced from fruit and vegetable residues, such as orange, eggplant, coconut, green banana, passion fruit peel, among others. This is a technique used to avoid food waste and take full advantage of the product, and can often be produced at home, in addition to enhancing the consumption of fibre and other nutrients that would not be ingested normally.
Bran, on the other hand, is made from the surface part of the grain and can be what is leftover from refining the flour or extracting oil. For example, wheat bran contains the husks of wheat grains, and soy bran is defatted soybeans, that is, without the oil. In the bran, we will find greater amounts of fibre and/or proteins.
These characteristics will improve nutrition, as high fibre content helps the digestive system to function properly and increases the feeling of satiety, which means that even eating fewer, you can feel satisfied. This bran can be used in the production of breakfast cereals and cereal bars, as well as in the production of bread, cookies and cakes.
Finally, we have the flakes, which are obtained by pressing the whole raw material, which will be crushed until it is completely flattened. This method is used with oats, corn, rice, wheat, coconut, etc. and allows the grain to maintain its total carbohydrates and nutrients. We will find the flakes in preparations of cereals, cookies, bars, in natura, and it can be consumed alone or added to fruits, yoghurts, ice cream or wherever your imagination wants!
In the case of corn, we have many classifications of flour, according to granulometry, which is the size of the final grain. The best-known types are flour and cornmeal, which despite being both produced from ground corn, in practice are different. Wholemeal flour is produced by grinding whole and dried corn kernels. Although this flour has more nutrients, the oil contained in the grains makes the flour oxidize more easily, creating that rancid smell, and therefore has a shorter shelf life. Cornmeal is made by grinding dry and degerminated grains, that is, without the germ and without the husk. Cornmeal has small particles, with a diameter between 0.2 and 0.6 mm, and as it is thinner, it absorbs more water and also cooks faster than cornflour. Mimoso cornmeal is produced like common cornmeal, only finer, with grains smaller than 0.2 mm in diameter. For the production of flaked corn flour, the corn grains are first hydrated, and only then are they crushed, pressed with rollers to form the flakes, and then roasted. The result is thick flakes.
Knowing these differences is important when planning your food or just to know the nutritional quality of what we are consuming, using technology and our knowledge to explore the different ways of preparation, whether simple or elaborate, healthy or just pleasurable.
Which of these foods do you use the most in your daily life?
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