The aroma of wheat germ flour

The aroma of wheat germ flour

All our varieties of our flour are not only pure ground, but also free of additives e.g. milk (or by-products), vitamins, preservatives, malt (or by-products), gluten and enzymes. They are stone ground, according to the natural characteristics of each type of grain, and left wholemeal without altering nutritional values. We use a cylnder mill to produce "0" and "00" flours and three natural stone mills as well to produce tipe "1", "2" and whole meal flours. The fundamental concept is that together with traditional stone milling, we use the latest laboratory techniques to control grain quality. Before we buy any grain, we carry out a series of tests to evaluate its quality to ensure we select only the best. When brought to the mill, the grain is cleaned and stored in cool conditions. Before grinding begins, it undergoes a further careful cleaning to eliminate all impurities. Our attention is focused on sampling the grain quality from the point where it enters the mill right through to the finished product.

We are environmentally aware Why organic?

the soil is exhausted organic farming reduces pollution through crop rotation we reduce mechanical procedures and therefore CO2 emissions and avoid the use of chemical fertilizers it encourages product biodiversity. By following these farming principles we favour traditional and, therefore, naturally selected varieties of cereal where man has played no part in the hybridisation process our health and especially that of our children is most important. Organic methods have a much lower impact on nutritional values and so are better tolerated by children this type of product is GMO free and is richer in nutritional factors to produce natural flours through traditional stone milling; this would not be achieved with grain derived from non-organic methods

Our milling activity began in the mid 1950s when our father, Felice Marino, learned that there was a small mill for sale in the town of Cossano Belbo, complete with the original mill stones and rollers. Fascinated by the milling activity, he decided to buy it. Together with his wife and her parents, he began to produce a range of flours. At the time, it was mainly the roller mill that was used to produce easy to work and fast to bake flours a symbol of modern times taking their toll. The products were widely distributed and used mainly by bakers for bread making. Fast foods and the additives and preservatives they contain (up-graders and thickeners) have brought about a variety of health problems, such as obesity, colitis, hypertension, diabetes and food intolerance. This has led to an increasing trend away from fast foods in favour of the genuine simplicity and goodness of traditional foods. In this new context we believe we have found our mission. Thanks to the natural old French mill stones (that have never stopped working over all these years) we began to grind traditional, biologically farmed cereals, pure ground, that have been neither hybridised nor genetically altered. We have three natural stone mills, one for our Otto File (Eight Rows) maize - a precious original variety from the Langhe, one for the hard and soft grains and the third for those varieties that address food intolerances (spelt, enkir, rye, buckwheat, kamut, chickpea, barley and chestnut). We are fortunate that as a result of our father s many years of experience, we are able to carry out the delicate hammering procedure ourselves to dress the mill stones. The passion we inherited from our father has been passed on to the next generation and now our children also work with us.

Products Milled with Natural Stone Cereals milled in their natural form contain a balance of proteins, sugars, fats and mineral salts. In addition, they contain important vitamins especially those from the B group (B1, B2 etc)and vitamin E. Unfortunately, in less than a century modern refining methods have contrived to remove most of the goodness from the grain. Many modern mills, using steel rollers, make the flour whiter and whiter leaving it rich in calories but poor in the natural elements present in the outer layers of the grain. This is the main reason why we mill only organic cereals using natural, not artificial stone. By this means we obtain a wholemeal flour in a single pass. This gives a healthier, fuller flavoured product which is not only highly nutritious but has a wonderful aroma and is both higher in fibre and lower in calories. The grain contained in our stone milled flours is rich in the most valuable nutritive substances proteins, vitamins, enzymes and minerals. Wholemeal cereals: The wholemeal flours we produce are not reconstituted i.e. they are not made by adding back the external part of the grain to the refined flour. They are produced by a single pass through the mill and therefore contain all parts of the seed, including endosperm, germ and the outer fibre rich husk.

Our Cylinder Milled Flours The concept we employ with our cylinder milling procedures is similar to that used for the stone mill. We rarely grind our cereals a second time and aim to reduce the milling processes to a minimum thus avoiding overheating of the flour. Our Maize The Eight Row Variety This variety of Meliga is grown by trusted farmers in the Langhe hills of the Piedmont. It produces only one cob per plant, which has eight rows of seeds hence its name (modern varieties generally produce two or three cobs per plant which may have up to twenty rows of seeds). As a result, polenta made with this maize is sweeter and fuller flavoured compared with other varieties. It is also known as The King s Maize as, according to history, the King of Italy - Vittorio Emanuele II was the first to grow it at Pollenza (Province of Cuneo), where he had his shooting lodge. The Eight Row maize is cultivated on organic principles and is then ground in our stone mill to produce a wholemeal flour that retains all its natural flavour and aroma. We produce four types of maize flour; two types made from Eight Row one coarsely milled, the other fine, Taragna - a mixture of maize and buckwheat flour and White Pearl Maize. Our Alternatives to Wheat Flours The production of alternatives to wheat flours has come about due to the growing intolerance to cereals containing gluten. We now produce flours from spelt, kamut, enkir and rye. They are all ground using a separate mill to avoid cross contamination with other cereals. The grains we use are all from traditional varieties. They are highly nutritious in that they contain more protein and are rich in antioxidants. In addition we supply the following flours and grains - barley, Italian chickpea, chestnut, hazel nuts, lentils (from Umbria) and Basmati rice.

Enkir Enkir was the world s first domesticated variety of grain. Genetically speaking it is a diploid, meaning it has two sets of seven chromosomes (others have four and modern cereals for bread making have six). It appeared in the Middle East ten to twelve thousand years ago. As a wild cereal, it has a natural resistance to disease and needs no fertilizer. This is why it is considered to be a truly organic cereal. The flour is high in protein and is unusually yellow owing to the high level of carotenoids, which are efficient natural anti-oxidants. Production is closely controlled, from the sowing of the seed to the milling of the grain, to guarantee the consumer receives a product that is: Pure not contaminated with other types of cereal Organically raised GMO free Produced without chemical additives Enkir presents its unique flavour best in the simplest of preparations. Optimal results are obtained when used with natural rather than commercial yeast. More information is available at www.enkir.it

Finally, we offer a little advice on how to best use our products. We have not included recipes as we think this is best left to the skill and creativity of the consumer. Nor do we believe in standardising, but rather in giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy our products as they choose. Soft wheats, hard wheats, spelt, rye, enkir, kamut, 7 Fs and Sapori Antichi (Antique Flavours) are best for leavened doughs and egg doughs. Wholemeal flours are for medium and low leavens. They can also be mixed with other flours to create any type of preparation according to taste. Buckwheat, rice, maize, barley, chickpea and chestnut: these flours do not rise, but taste delicious and can be mixed however you like to create whatever delights you. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further suggestions or visit our website www.mulinomarino.it We are based in Cossano Belbo, a small town of about 1000 inhabitants in the Langhe region 244 metres above sea level. An ancient document (dated 1001 A.D.) suggests that the original name of the town was Coxani a joining of two words cox (cliff) and sana that together mean beautiful cliff. The town was built on a cliff overlooking a castle, and inside the walls of the castle was the original tub mill. We are situated centrally, 30 minutes from Alba, Asti and Acqui Terme. Setting Translated by our friend Peter Devereux

MILANO A4 TORINO A21 ASTI A21 ALESSANDRIA TORTONA A6 ALBA COSTIGLIOLE NIZZA M.TO CUNEO NEIVE CANELLI S.STEFANO BELBO COSSANO BELBO A26 A7 A6 CORTEMILIA MILLESIMO A10 GENOVA SAVONA