Wheat Pigments Most wheat varieties have a
reddish-brown bran layer that owes its color
to various phenolic compounds and to
browning enzymes (p. 269) that assemble
them into large colored aggregates. Less
common are white wheats, whose bran layer is
cream-colored due to a much lower content of
phenolic compounds and browning enzymes.
White wheats have a less astringent taste and
discolor less when some of the bran is
included in the flour; they’re used to replace
ordinary wheats when an especially mild
flavor or light color is desired.
The color of durum wheat, its coarse
semolina flour, and dry pasta is due mainly to
the carotenoid xanthophyll lutein, which can
be oxidized to a colorless form by enzymes in
the grain and oxygen. This maturation has
traditionally been desired in wheats
(remember that the name comes from an
ancient root meaning “white”), but is not in
durum. Some of the minor wheats are also
barry
(Barry)
#1