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Ground Cover West : Ground Cover 101 November-December 2012 - West
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Modern world market looms large for ancient wheat product harvested while the grain is still green, which then undergoes a roasting process to produce a nutritious cereal product. The product sells in the Middle East and parts of Europe, but the US is the company's largest market, where Mr Lutfi says the obesity epidemic is motivating an increasing number of Americans to shun rice and pasta in favour of nutritious grains such as freekeh, quinoa, chia and farro. He says the trend is being propagated by a developing movement of growers, scientists and 'foodies' working to bring back ancient grain products that existed before grains were hybridised to boost important commercial traits such as yield, gluten content and disease resistance. "Because it is harvested while the wheat is still young, freekeh contains more protein, vitamins and minerals than mature wheat and most other grains," Mr Lutfi says. "It also falls in the low glycaemic index category and contains up to four times the fibre of brown rice with the same low fat content." The claims are backed by studies undertaken by CSIRO and the Australian Government Analytical Laboratories. The company's cracked and wholegrain freekeh staples can be cooked like rice as a savoury side dish, used in soups, salads and poultry stuffings, or served as a breakfast cereal. Greenwheat FreekehTM is also developing and co-producing a range of retail products including pre-cooked meals, burgers, crackers, biscuits, salads, soups, pastas, flour, rolled freekeh and health bars. The company's manufacturing clients include a US company developing ready-to- eat cooked meals, burgers, pasta and other freekeh products, while in the Ukraine, ironically one of the world's largest wheat producers, Australian-grown freekeh is being used to manufacture muesli products for local consumption and re-export. In Japan, a flour milling company and a brewer are also interested in using freekeh when supply capacity grows to high enough levels. "As freekeh is a natural ingredient, it can be used by manufacturers to create nutritious products that enhance their competitive advantage," Mr Lutfi says. He says Australians have been slower to catch on at the consumer level, but adds that demand strengthened in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in 2012. Fit for a king Mr Lutfi first became aware of freekeh and its popularity in the Middle East when, as a US mechanical engineer serving as president of the Jordan Technology Development Fund in the 1980s, he was invited to dine with the Prince of Jordan. The Prince introduced him to an impressive dish of roasted green wheat known there as 'freekeh mansaf'. Describing the meal as green wheat peasant food, the Prince jested "you are lucky to be eating it here [at the palace] because you won't break a tooth". The reference to stone and rock sediment is synonymous with traditional harvesting and processing practices. These involve harvesting the grain while it is still moist and soft, piling it on the ground to sun-dry, then carefully setting the pile on fire so that only the straw and chaff burn while the grain is gently roasted. It was this slow, manual practice that prompted Mr Lutfi to develop a product that was of uniform quality and free of grit. Also, with 'dirty' freekeh from Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt selling at $2000/t in bulk and $7000/t retail, he was confident he could attract a high profit margin by putting the grain through a fully automated process to provide a guaranteed 'clean' food. After moving to Australia in 1990 due to political instability in Jordan, Mr Lutfi established a factory on the outskirts of Adelaide to produce freekeh that meets the internationally high standards set by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Processing innovation Greenwheat FreekehTM remains the only company in the world that has developed a unique technique to parch, roast, smoke and dry freekeh -- a breakthrough recognised by numerous innovation awards. Because the green grain must be harvested and processed quickly before it turns to silage, the paddock-to-process journey cannot exceed a few hours. This means the wheat needs to be sourced within 300 kilometres of the Two Wells factory. "We have developed modified processes to harvest the green grain and we transport it in a way that doesn't allow the high moisture content to trigger fermentation," Mr Agribusiness innovAtion 24 november – december 2012 / GROUND COVER greenwheat Freekeh™ managing director tony Lutfi says the products that can be made from freekeh are many and the advantages for farmers and the environment are significant. but without help to take the company to the next level, it will be forced to sell out overseas. An innovative green wheat product grown and produced in Australia is gaining a strong foothold in overseas functional food markets, but its innovator says a lack of local investor support to aid expansion could force him to take the business to North America or Europe Wheat harvested green is in increasing demand for a modern method of processing an ancient wheat product, freekeh. By Melissa Branagh-McConachy n After years of research, South Australian company Greenwheat FreekehTM is the first and only manufacturer in the world to develop a technology to harvest and treat soft green wheat to produce freekeh (pronounced 'free-ka'), a cereal food popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries where it is hand-made. Managing director Tony Lutfi says the hard work is finally paying off, with Greenwheat FreekehTM emerging as a tasty alternative for consumers wishing to replace rice and pasta as a result of CSIRO studies confirming its high nutritional value. It has also received several high-profile celebrity endorsements. Demand from the US soared in 2011 after Oprah Winfrey nominated freekeh as "one of four exotic grains that can improve health" and television host Dr Mehmet Oz listed the grain in the '7 Essentials for Women over 40' episode of his program. UK chef Jamie Oliver has also touted freekeh as a 'superfood', triggering even more interest by health-food bloggers. While the grain may still be foreign to many, Mr Lutfi says the freekeh market is far from niche, with annual consumption in the Middle East alone exceeding 500,000 tonnes. He says Greenwheat FreekehTM has the capacity to produce 800t of freekeh a year at its Two Wells site just north of Adelaide. It currently produces about 500t and exports 97 per cent of its output. Freekeh is not a grain variety; it is wheat
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