Bulgur Wheat Adds Whole-Grain Nutrition

Bulgur wheat, an ancient and traditional wheat food of the Mediterranean regions, is gaining popularity as the primary ingredient in more restaurant and delicatessen dishes. It is an integral component of the Mediterranean diet, which, like the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, is recognized as a blueprint for healthful eating.

“Today, bulgur wheat is being rediscovered as an industrial ingredient with key functional properties, including the provision of texture, dietary fiber, calorie reduction and binding properties in the formulation of meatless frozen, refrigerated and shelf-stable products,” says Mike Orlando, president, Sunnyland Mills. “The versatility offered by the bulgur process allows us to continue to work with new product applications in the areas of fiber-rich, whole-grain, low-fat and low-calorie concepts.” Bulgur also has more fiber than brown rice.

To avoid the slightly bitter taste of the commonly used tannin-rich red wheat, Sunnyland Mills processes special white-wheat varieties—and has done so for more than 70 years. This “bulgurization” process involves cooking the wheat in hot water, drying it and either leaving the wheat grains whole or grinding them into different particle sizes. Processing the special white-wheat varieties results in nonbitter bulgur products that have a preferred, “nutty” taste. The clean, nutty taste—together with high uniformity in the degree of gelatinization —provides food-product designers with a versatile and nutritious whole-grain ingredient.

“This ingredient gives formulators an exciting vehicle to create an infinite number of exotic blends with fresh herbs, in both hot and clod dishes, while maintaining good integrity and crunch—even under the most-demanding conditions,” says Orlando. “Our bulgur wheat can elevate meals to something special while delivering excellent nutrition at reasonable cost.”

Some vegetarian recipes that contain bulgur-wheat products include: tabbouleh, meatless burgers, chili, soups, pilafs and a smorgasbord of savory main dishes rich in fiber. The company recommends its fine-grind bulgur-wheat nuggets for high-fiber, low-calorie, nutritious breakfast-cereal applications; the medium-grind nuggets for meatless burgers, chili, pilafs and multigrain bakery goods; and the coarse-grind nuggets for low-fat stuffings, casseroles and vegetarian tacos. Whole-grain bulgur is used primarily as a key ingredient in hearty soups. Sunnyland Mills also offers certified-organic certified and kosher bulgur-wheat products with the same presentation and functionality.

Sunnyland Mills is a founding member of the Whole Grains Council, Boston, and Mike Orlando served as its first chairman.

Sunnyland Mills 
4469 E. Annadale Avenue 
Fresno, CA 93725 
Phone: 800/501-8017 or 559/233-4983 
Fax: 559/233-6431 
E-mail: [email protected]  
Website: www.sunnylandmills.com