Granum

Granum flour is flour made from sprouted wheat. Sprouted wheat has long been known as a very healthy ingredient of top quality with a number of benefits to the human body. Flour production involves several sophisticated stages, which can be divided into preparation, sprouting, drying and milling. Each stage is done in a strictly controlled environment, at low temperatures so as to preserve the nutritive value of the grain. In this way the grains retain what is most valuable in them - the abundance of enzymes, vitamins, antioxidants and compounds which all have a beneficial effect on the body. For more on the content of enzymes, vitamins and antioxidants in Granum flour see here.

What are the advantages of using Granum flour in diet?

Starch and gluten

The advantages of using sprouted wheat flour for human consumption are based primarily on the biochemical changes that occur in wheat grain during germination. Significant changes occur in starch, where a complex carbon hydrate compound (polysaccharide) under the influence amylase, an enzyme secreted in the initial stage of germination, is broken down to fruit sugars. The plant uses these simple sugars as a source of energy for biochemical processes during germination making them easy for the human body to digest, a great relief to the digestive tract, and therefore for the whole body.

Plenty of enzymes that are secreted in the initial stage of germination significantly affect the hyaluronic layer of the grain, which also contains grain protein (gluten). Under the influence of biochemical processes of germination, the enzyme protease is released which in turn hydrolyzes the complex components of gluten (glutenin, gliadin, globulin, albumin, etc.) into essential amino acids, some participate as building blocks in cell structure and cell bodies of new plants, making them easy for human body to digest. Therefore this bread can be consumed by people allergic to gluten.

Anti-nutrients

Strong anti-nutrients such as phytic acid and inhibitors of pancreatic enzymes that are used for the digestion of starch, which is usually found in unsprouted grain, are broken down during the germination stage, so their effect in the human body is neutralized.

Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolic products of some species of mold (fungi) that occur during their growth. More than 100 000 different types of molds are known to man, some of which can be used in various industries (pharmacy and food industry), some are neither harmful nor beneficial to man, and some are very harmful and dangerous.

The fungi of the genus Fusarium and Aspergillus, which normally inhabit wheat in our region, unfortunately, belong to the latter kind i.e. are very harmful and dangerous to humans. These specific mycotoxins occur during the process of storing wheat.

The fungi of the genus Aspergillus (Aspergillus parasiticus and aspergillus flavus) secrete aflatoxin as their secondary metabolite. Aflatoxin B1 is often called the most toxic substance found in nature. Its accumulation in the human body leads to cancerous mutations in the cells of the liver and digestive tract. In 1988 the International Agency for research on cancer included Aflatoxin B1 into the list of carcinogenic substances harmful to humans.

Clinical trials have shown that Fusarium mycotoxin DON (deoxynivalenol), produced by the fungi of the Fusarium genus, has very unfavorable effect on the digestive tract of humans, and disrupts the immune system.

These are just basic mycotoxins that these two types of fungi secrete, however there are other mycotoxins found in smaller amounts on the wheat grain. Thanks to specific hydro thermal treatment of wheat in preparation for germination, all pathogens, toxins, which have negative effect on the body, are removed from the surface of the grain reducing the contamination of organisms with mycotoxins to minimum.

Vitamins

During the germination of the grain the content of water-soluble vitamins increases. These vitamins are vital to the physiological processes during germination, as well as for the growth and development of young plants. These vitamins (vitamin C, vitamins of the B complex, folic and lipoic acid, vitamin H, vitamin PP, etc.) all have important functions in the human body.
Grains are known to have high content of these vitamins, and because of their function in the physiological processes during germination, this content increases several times (vitamin C and B complex vitamins can be up to eight times higher than before germination). To learn more about the detrimental effects of pharmaceutical - artificial vitamins click here.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are molecules that are able to slow down or prevent the oxidation of other molecules by being oxidized themselves. Oxidation reactions are constantly occurring in and around us. They make an integral part of life and of the functioning of every living cell. The reactions of oxidation in the living body form free radicals that trigger chain reactions leading to cell damage. For details on antioxidants, click here and here.

Additives

In the contemporary food production process various additional substances are used to extend shelf-life, increase volume and weight, to preserve the color of the product and so on. These substances are called additives and are often complex chemical compounds that do not have beneficial effect on the human organism.

The additives which are used in food technology include antioxidants and antioxidant synergists , preservatives, flavoring agents, emulsifiers, stabilizers, binding agents and gelling agents, colorants, various acids, bases and salts, enzyme preparations, cooling aids * (quote from Technology Authority website).

Suffice it to say, that at the moment there are about 1500 registered additives used in the food industry, which have their E numbers and just as many additives without their E number. During the course of production of our flour, starting from the moment the germination process has begun, to the packaging of flour, no additives are used. This method protects the wealth of nutrients created during germination.

Preservatives and colors

Preservatives are substances that are added to the product in order to extend shelf life, i.e. to prevent the product from being spoilt. The group of preservatives used to preserve the color and freshness of the product poses the biggest threat to human health, these include nitrates and nitrites which can become toxic and carcinogenic compounds (nitrosamine, methemoglobin) in time. This conversion usually happens under the influence of the intestinal flora.

 

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Since our flour is the result of the germination process, there is no need to add any additives, colors or preservatives, because the flour already contains natural enzymes and antioxidants (vitamins E and C, vitamin B3 in the form of niacin, vitamins B6 and B2, coenzyme Q, ß carotene, etc.). These substances are present in large quantities, which allows our flour to have the labeled shelf life without any supplements.

The benefits of using Granum flour are therefore quite clear. In addition to reducing the intake of substances that can cause serious health problems, by using our flour you take in a large amount of substances that have a beneficial effect on the body. All this is enabled by the process occurring in the wheat grain during germination. The results of the analysis of germinated wheat grain conducted by the USDA on the sprouting grain also show that there grain abounds with omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids and other important ingredients in the grain, which can be seen from the table below.

 

The benefits of using Granum flour

Based on the data presented, it is clear that the use of Granum flour has superior benefits to human consumption in comparison to plain, standardized flour.
The benefits among others include:

  • Granum flour is easier to digest since during germination complex carbohydrate starch is broken down to simple fruit sugars that the human body easily digests (plain flour starch is digested in several stages, each of these digestion stages may be impaired by the presence of anti-nutritive substances). Complex gluten is broken down into amino acid building blocks that are essential for the normal function of the human body.
  • Phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors located in the bran are neutralized during germination. Phytic acid inhibits the absorption of micro- and macro-elements (calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, etc.) while enzyme inhibitors reduce the effectiveness of the enzymes involved in the digestion of starch.
  • Increased content of vitamins- vitamin content during germination increases manifold

It is important to note the increase of vitamin C, and vitamin B complex (B2, B5 and B6)

  • Increased content of carotene during germination, the carotene content increases up to eight times than before germination
  • Increased content of enzymes - the initial stage of germination releases huge amounts of enzymes that start the process of creating the conditions for the birth and growth of new plants. These enzymes play an important role in the human body proving to be an irreplaceable element for normal functioning. Unfortunately, as the body ages, the amount of enzymes secreted by the body drops, so the enzymes present in Granum flour make an adequate compensation as some of these enzymes markedly inhibit oxidative processes.
  • increased content of fiber- the outer layer, or the bran, of the wheat grain has a high content of fiber, which have beneficial effects on the digestive tract as they clean the digestive tract.

The power and greatness of nature is truly amazing as we can see!

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