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Potential of ancient grains captured in new book

Is there a fit on your farm for a field of einkorn or a plot of emmer? Have you considered the market potential of spelt or waxy wheat?

These aren't what most regard as coffee-shop conversation grains, but they are among a collection of old and unique grains described in a new book that might be of interest to both farmers and processors searching for niche crop opportunities.

The book, Specialty Grains for Food and Feed, edited by two Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) scientists, is anything but a light-weight look at the whacky world of ancient grains with origins tracing back millennia to the first record of cultivated crops.

Inside the world of specialty grains

Drs. Elsayed Abdelaal and Peter Wood, centre and right, sign a copy of their new book for a reader. Photo courtesy of AACC

In 15 chapters, over 413 pages the text-heavy book is regarded, however, as an excellent reference for anyone involved in or seriously interested in the growing, marketing or processing specialty grains. Published and marketed by the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) it sells for about CDN$200.

"It will be of value to all aspects of the industry," says Dr. Elsayed Abdel-Aal a cereal research chemist who co-edited the book with Dr. Peter Wood, a carbohydrate chemist at the AAFC's Food Research Program in Guelph, Ont.

About 100 copies of the book have sold so far, including about 15 copies in Europe. It was introduced at the AACC conference this past summer and is slated to be launched officially in 2005.

Forerunners of today's crops

Einkorn, believed to be first harvested as a wild grain in the Near East as far back as 15,000 BC and emmer, a grain first cultivated in about 10,000 BC are the fore runners of the wheat varieties grown around the world today.

While over the centuries descendants of these ancient grains have been refined and improved into modern high yielding wheat varieties, the original crops are still grown on a limited basis in parts of the world, with a fit into niche markets.

Dr. Pierre Hucl, a plant breeder with the University of Saskatchewan's Crop Development Centre in Saskatoon is involved in breeding improved lines of Spelt einkorn, blue/purple, and waxy wheat as part of his overall wheat breeding program.

"Many of these ancient grains are adapted to Prairie growing conditions," says Hucl. "They have different quality characteristics and often lower yield than modern varieties, but they still have a fit in certain niche markets." Health food and organic grains are two of the main markets for these crops.

Einkorn and emmer

The high quality einkorn - with about 18 percent protein - is a very soft wheat that can be used in cookies and cakes. Although it doesn't make great bread flour, when used in breads it produces a light rich taste preferred by some over common white wheat products.

It's also a grain that can be used in soups, salads, casseroles and sauces. It contains high levels of lutein, a carotenoid that reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts and skin cancer, providing good opportunity for the development of the functional wheat market.

Emmer, a relative of Durum with protein in the 18 to 21 percent range, has been used as cattle feed, and produces a heavy textured but milder tasting bread than rye flour, for example. It has also been used as a high-end replacement for rice pilaf in select restaurants.

Health links explained

These are just two of the crops described in the unique reference source. Along with primary producers, the book will be of value to the grain industry, ingredient and food manufacturers, new product developers and informed consumers. The fact and fiction about cereal grains and celiac disease are covered in one section, while another chapter specifically addresses the relationship between grain consumption, health and health food claims.

The grain chapters provide the history, genetic background, agronomic needs and advantages and disadvantages of these crops, each described by experts in their field. The goal is to provide readers with enough information to reach informed conclusions about production and processing questions.

"We felt the book was important for two main reasons," says Abedel-Aal. "There is very solid evidence now on how some of these grains can affect various human health conditions. And with considerable interest in agriculture and environmental issues we felt these crops could play an important role in developing sustainable cropping systems."

Aside from einkorn and emmer, other chapters deal with organic grains and products; spelt a "covered wheat" used in health food products and pastas; waxy wheat which may be a substitute for waxy corn; hulless barley for food and feed; hairless canary seed as a food crop; hulless oats; rye; specialty sorghums for healthy foods; blue and purple grains which can be used in breads and baking and also produce natural food colorings; amaranth; and buckwheat.

The book can be ordered by contacting the American Association of Cereal Chemists headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota at 1-800-328-7560 or by visiting its website at http://www.aaccnet.org/ and clicking on the books link.

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