It was around the 1850s, when Baking Soda was first sold. A few years later, baking powder was being sold too. These were the very first chemicals to be included in the bread. And after this, things started getting out of hand. In 1873, Edwin Lacroix improved the Swiss Steel Roller. This man created a machine that could efficiently separate the parts of wheat.
First, let’s look at the various parts of a grain of wheat. The outermost layer is known as Bran. It looks brown. Most of the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals are in this layer. Under it is the thickest and largest part, the endosperm. This is mostly starchy carbohydrates. It isn’t very nutrient-rich. And the innermost part is known as Germ.
When we talk about whole wheat and refined wheat, the simple difference is that the outermost layer of bran is removed. The outermost layer is absent in refined flour the most nutritious part. It is the same as when you eat an apple. You’d know that the most beneficial part of the apple is its skin. If you removed the skin and eat the apple, you do not get as many nutrients. The skin was the healthiest part of it.
