Production of stabilized whole grain wheat flour and products thereof

A method for making a stabilized whole grain wheat flour comprising:

• a. comminuting whole cereal grains to obtain ground whole cereal grains,
• b. subjecting the ground cereal grains to a separation operation to obtain a coarse fraction comprising bran, germ, and starch, and a fine fraction comprising endosperm, said coarse fraction having a bran content of at least about 50% by weight, based upon the weight of the coarse fraction,
• c. grinding the coarse fraction to obtain a ground fraction having a particle size distribution of at least about 40% by weight having a particle size of greater than or equal to 149 microns, and less than or equal to about 35% by weight having a particle size greater than or equal to 500 microns,
• d. stabilizing the ground fraction by heating to reduce the lipase activity to less than about 3 micromole butyrate free acid formed per hour per 0.1 gram of the stabilized ground fraction, while avoiding an acrylamide content of greater than about 150 ppb, based upon the weight of the stabilized ground fraction, wherein the stabilized, ground coarse fraction has a starch melting enthalpy of greater than about 4 J/g, based upon the weight of starch in the stabilized ground coarse fraction, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), at a peak temperature of from about 65° C. to about 70° C., and a sodium carbonate-water solvent retention capacity (SRC sodium carbonate) of less than about 200%, and
• e. combining the fine fraction with the stabilized ground fraction to obtain a stabilized whole grain wheat flour with a lipase activity of less than about 1.5 micromole butyrate free acid formed per hour per 0.1 gram of the stabilized whole grain flour and an acrylamide content of less than about 45 ppb, based upon the weight of the stabilized whole grain flour, wherein said stabilized whole grain wheat flour has a sodium carbonate-water solvent retention capacity (SRC sodium carbonate) of less than about 85%.

A stabilized bran component comprising a ground or milled, heat-treated coarse fraction comprising bran, germ and starch, the amount of bran being at least about 50% by weight, based upon the weight of the coarse fraction, the stabilized, ground coarse fraction having:

• a. a particle size distribution of at least about 40% by weight of the fraction having a particle size of at least 149 microns, and less than or equal to about 35% by weight having a particle size greater than or equal to 500 microns,
• b. a lipase activity of less than about 3 micromole butyrate free acid formed per hour per 0.1 gram of the stabilized bran component,
• c. an acrylamide content less than or equal to about 150 ppb, based upon the weight of the stabilized bran component,
• d. a starch melting enthalpy of greater than about 4 J/g, based upon the weight of starch in the stabilized ground coarse fraction, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), at a peak temperature of from about 65° C. to about 70° C., and
• e. a sodium carbonate-water solvent retention capacity (SRC sodium carbonate) of less than about 200%.

A stabilized whole grain wheat flour comprising bran, germ and endosperm, the stabilized whole grain wheat flour having:

• a. a lipase activity of less than about 1.5 micromole butyrate free acid formed per hour per 0.1 gram of the stabilized whole grain flour,
• b. an acrylamide content less than about 45 ppb, based upon the weight of stabilized whole grain flour,
• c. a particle size distribution of less than about 10% by weight on a No. 35 (500 micron) U.S. Standard Sieve, and less than about 70% by weight through a No. 100 (149 micron) U.S. Standard Sieve,
• d. a starch melting enthalpy of the starch contained in the stabilized whole grain wheat flour of greater than about 4 J/g, based upon the weight of starch in the stabilized whole grain flour, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), at a peak temperature of from about 65° C. to about 70° C., and
• e. a sodium carbonate-water solvent retention capacity (SRC sodium carbonate) of less than about 85%.