Course:FNH200/Assignments/2025/Wheat thins

Very briefly introduce your products here.

Image 1: Wheat Thins Original Nutrition Label

Image 2: Wheat Thins Original Front

Image 3: Wheat Thins Low Fat Front

Ingredient lists

1. Ingredients

Wheat Thins Original	Wheat Thins 37% Less Fat
Wheat flour Vegetable oil Sugars(sugar, glucose-fructose) Wheat bran Salt Malted barley flour Turmeric extract Annatto extract	Wheat Flour Vegetable Oil Sugars ( sugar, glucose-fructose) Wheat Bran Salt Malted Barley Flour Turmeric extract Annatto extract

Image 4: Wheat Thins Low Fat Nutrition Labels

2. Substitutes & Additives used

	Wheat Thins Original	Wheat Thins 37% Less Fat
Fat Substitutes	None	None
Sugar Substitutes	None	None
Other Additives	Salt:  flavour enhancer and preservative Malted barley flour: source of natural enzymes (dough conditioner) Turmeric extract and annatto extract:  natural colourants	Salt:  flavour enhancer and preservative Malted barley flour: source of natural enzymes (dough conditioner) Turmeric extract and annatto extract:  natural colourants

3. Roles of Substitutes and Additives

Wheat Thins Original

Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oil is the main fat in baked goods and plays a crucial role in texture and preservation. It coats starch and gluten, preventing them from forming a tight structure, thus making baked products have a soft and delicate texture. This coating effect also results in a smooth and non-greasy taste. Moreover, vegetable oil can delay the hardening of starch during storage, helping the product retain moisture and extending its shelf life.

Salt

Image 5: Wheat Thins Original Nutrition Labels (French)

Salt enhances the overall flavor by suppressing bitterness and balancing sweetness. It promotes the binding of gluten proteins, strengthens the structure of the dough, and makes the bread structure more uniform and stable. Salt can also slightly reduce water activity, delaying the growth of microorganisms without hindering yeast fermentation, thereby achieving a mild preservative effect.

Wheat bran

Wheat bran is a nutrient‐rich byproduct of flour milling, prized for its high levels of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. When incorporated into doughs, it markedly increases water absorption, which not only boosts loaf yield but also produces a more substantial, pleasantly chewy crumb. The bran’s coarse particles create micro‐aeration throughout the dough, lending a tender yet hearty texture that many consumers associate with whole‐grain authenticity. Its fiber content binds water, delaying starch retrogradation and thereby extending freshness. Wheat bran also contributes naturally occurring B vitamins, minerals, and trace lipids that support yeast metabolism and consistent fermentation performance. Visually, bran flecks impart a rustic appearance, while its mild nutty flavor enhances sensory appeal. Overall, adding wheat bran elevates both the nutritional profile and clean‐label credibility of baked goods.

Malted Barley Flour

Malted barley flour contains natural enzymes that can convert starch into simple sugars during the mixing and early baking stages. These sugars nourish the yeast, increase gas production, and improve the structure and volume of the bread. The additional sugar also accelerates the browning reaction on the surface, deepening the color and enhancing the flavor. Malted barley flour can also regulate the water absorption rate and starch gelatinization properties, making the dough easier to handle.

Turmeric and Annatto (Safflower Orange) Extracts

Image 6: Wheat Thins Low Fat Nutrition Labels (French)

These two natural pigments can add attractive colors to baked goods, Turmeric gives a warm yellow hue, while Safflower Orange brings an orange-red shade. Using them together can enhance visual appeal. These pigments remain stable during baking and storage, and do not alter the product's flavor. Using natural pigments not only meets consumers' demand for a clean label without artificial colors, but also strengthens the brand's image of being natural and healthy.

Wheat Thins 37% Less Fat

Vegetable Oil

This oil is used in the snack to aid in preservation and texture.This is achieved through combining the different ingredients, the vegetable oil will coat the gluteness structure, allowing for air bubbles to form in the dough. It is also the oil that allows for a longer shelf life as it aids in keeping the starches softer and locking in moisture.

Salt

The main purpose of salt is to make the flavor of the snack richer. With it being one of the five tastes humans have receptors for, its addition to any food will detract from other flavors. Furthermore salt reduces water activity, leaving the crackers to be crunchier and have a snap; a more desirable texture. In addition to texture, reducing the water activity can also help with preserving food as less microorganisms will be able to grow.

Turmeric and Annatto (Safflower Orange) Extracts

These are natural pigments added to the snack to allow for more desirable color. The combination of the yellow turmeric and the orange-red from the annatto make for a desirable color. These pigments don’t affect the shelf life of flavor of the food, so their only purpose is to change the color.

4. Compare and Contrast

When comparing the Original Wheat Thins and the 37% Less Fat Wheat Thins (Canadian version), there are several key similarities and differences, particularly in fat content, sweeteners, and additives.

Similarities:

Primary grain: Both products use wheat flour as their main ingredient, whole grain wheat flour in the original and wheat flour in the low-fat version.

Oils/fats: Both use some form of vegetable oil, canola oil in the original, and unspecified vegetable oil in the low-fat version.

Sweeteners: Each product includes sugar and a secondary sweetener. The original uses refiner’s syrup (similar to molasses), while the low-fat version uses a sugar + glucose-fructose mix.

Salt and leavening agents (baking soda, calcium phosphate in the original; likely similar in the low-fat version) are present in both for flavour and texture.

Differences:

Colour additives: Only the low-fat version uses turmeric extract and annatto extract for the usage of colour enhancement. These are not included in the original flavour.

Additives: The original flavour contains BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) in the packaging to preserve freshness, which is not listed for the low-fat version.

Labels

	Wheat Thins Originals & Wheat Thins Low Fat Option
Common Name	Commonly known as Wheat Thins Original & Wheat Thins 37% Less Fat
Billingualism	Both products contain English and French labels as they are produced in Canada.
Country of Origin	Labels indicate where the product is manufactured, the label indicates the product is "Baked in Canada"
Date Markings & Storage Instructions	The expiry date is labelled on the top side of the box.
Name & Principle Place of Business	The principal place of this product is Chicago, Illinois, USA. Christie Brown & Co. manufactures the product in Toronto, Canada as a division of Mondelez International
Legibility & Location	The information is easily read. Both products are easily found in Canada
Net Quantity	The weight of both the original and low fat options is 180g. Information is found on the front label for both products.
Nutrition Facts	The table contains the required information such as (calories, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, fibre, sugar, protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin A/C).  Vitamins A/C are not labelled as they are not mandatory based on current regulations.
Irradiation	Products are not irradiated, so it is not on the labels.
List of Ingredients and Allergens	List of ingredients can be seen in images 1 & 4. The product states “contains wheat” as wheat is a priority allergen.
Sweeteners	Clearly identified in the list of ingredients, and can be seen in images 1 & 4.
Food Additives	Clearly identified in the list of ingredients, and can be seen in images 1 & 4.
Claim and Statements	The less fat alternative  makes a claim of “37% less fat than original wheat thins crackers”, which holds true based on the nutrients facts, and both products claim “no artificial flavours or colours”.

The information that is stated above complies with the regulatory requirements as we have learned in lesson 4. The box has a list of ingredients, date of expiry and no misleading claims and statements.

References

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This Food Science resource was created by Course:FNH200.