A MALTINGS factory in Mistley is pioneering a new ingredient that is expected to be the “next big thing” in baking.

Edme, formerly known as English Diastatic Malt Extract Company, has been producing natural wholegrain ingredients since 1884.

The firm’s buildings in High Street are now being used to produce a new product, called sprouted grains.

The health benefits of wholegrain have long been established and nutritionists advise three portions of wholegrain a day.

But in Britain 20 per cent of the population eat none at all and only 33 per cent eat only three portions a week.

Michael Carr, sales and marketing director of natural ingredient producer Edme, said we are eating too little fibre.

“It will take radical changes to address this,” he added.

“As well as educating people about the benefits of wholegrain, the food industry clearly needs some new ideas.”

Consumer demand is there with 43 per cent of UK consumers looking to buy food containing whole grains.

But many people find the taste, texture or appearance unappealing.

In response, Edme has pioneered an innovative new category of ingredients – sprouted grains.

They are aimed at meeting the demand for new wholegrain ingredients that are nutritious at the same time as being soft and tender, as well as more palatable and digestible.

Mr Carr added: “We’ve identified a growing interest in sprouted foods and have developed a brand new product category to help bakers and food manufacturers meet that interest and demand.”

Mistley-based Edme is in one of the best cereal-growing areas of the country, which means the company is able to source the highest quality grains from farms in the region.

Their sister company, the Crisp Malting Group, malts grain just up the road in Mistley.

The expertise in malt and malting have been invaluable in the research and development of the new sprouted grain category.

The WholeSoft Sprouted technique uses the first stages of the malting process to capture the goodness of whole grains, provide them with succulence, and make them accessible to the food industry. Premium quality raw cereal grains are steeped (soaked) and germinated (sprouted). Then, rather than being kilned and dried, which is what would happen in the malting process, they are pasteurised. This provides stable, succulent, tasty ingredients.

These are a much more approachable way for people to access whole grains, with their added benefit in terms of nutrition and fibre.

“WholeSoft Sprouted Rye in particular adds wonderful flavour,” said Mr Carr.

“Of course we need the best quality raw materials to produce WholeSoft – and fortunately the talented farmers from Essex and Suffolk can supply us with those.”

All WholeSoft Sprouted grains, whether rye, wheat, oats or barley, have the full bran layer.

This means they help deliver much-needed fibre, are low in starch, contain antioxidants, and offer easier absorption of nutrients such as calcium, iron and zinc.

Edme’s WholeSoft Sprouted grains have a wide range of applications in the baked goods category and other food manufacturing sectors.

Edme said that for bakers, of key interest are the visible attractive-looking whole grains – which contrast with the burnt offerings that sometimes appear in loaves and rolls.

However, an additional benefit is the impact they have on the texture of the overall product.

As WholeSoft Sprouted grains are already hydrated, they feed moisture into the crumb – whereas with dried flakes and kibbles draw moisture out.

Mr Carr added: “A high presence of WholeSoft undoubtedly reduces the baker’s requirement for added fat to keep their products moist - the grains do that for them.

“For a similar reason, consumers don’t need to use so much butter or margarine on bread made using WholeSoft grains.”

Edme’s new ingredients are already being used in breads made for supermarkets, including Sainsbury, Waitrose, Marks and Spencer and Tesco, and are being explored as an ingredient for dairy and savoury dishes by manufacturers.