The smell and taste of fresh-baked French and Italian breads rank among life’s finer food experiences. But whole wheat bread? Not so much. That’s one reason it’s been a challenge to get more Americans to choose healthier wheat over tastier, less-nutritious white bread made from refined and processed flour.

But food scientists are reporting a culinary discovery that could change all that. In a new study published in the American Chemical Society Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the researchers said they found a single chemical compound holds the key to giving whole wheat bread a more appetizing aroma and taste, potentially opening the door to making it — and similarly healthy bakery products — more appealing to millions of people.
That key ingredient — ferulic acid (FA), found mainly in bran — effectively suppresses one of the critical components that give baked white bread its distinctly satisfying aroma and taste. By manipulating FA in bread dough, bakers could make healthier bread more appetizing, without compromising on nutrition, said Devin G. Peterson, who led the new study.
Peterson explained that whole wheat flour includes all three layers of the grain — bran, germ, and endosperm — while refined flour is mostly endosperm. Whole wheat flour contains more nutritious fiber and phytochemicals that help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Despite wheat bread's health benefits, many consumers prefer white bread’s taste and aroma.
To gauge FA’s effects on bread, Peterson's team added it to white flour dough and found the loaves tasted and smelled like wheat bread. They also noted it reduced amounts of a number of compounds that help shape bread's appetizing aroma and taste.
Understanding these chemical reactions, and manipulating bread’s ingredients to maximize the appeal of wheat bread products, could help bakers make healthier varieties that will appeal to consumers who don’t want to sacrifice flavor for health benefits, Peterson suggested.
The study was funded the U.S. Department of Agriculture.