Our vision

Hidden in Grains´ vision is to give back grain it’s significant role as a staple food and source of important nutrients. By using primary products, like ancient grains, with high levels of nutrients, and by reviving the grains through hydrothermal technology access is given to natural minerals. The consumption of such vegetable staple foods from a variety of cultivars does not only improve health, but also contributes to sustainable ecosystems.

Photo: Ragnhild Larsson

Photo: Ragnhild Larsson

Our history

Kerstin Fredlund and Annette Almgren are the inspirers of Hidden in Grains. In the 90’s Kerstin and Annette worked together at a Nordic research and development project which originated from inventory and industrial application of traditional processes with whole grains.

Kerstin’s interest for this originated in the late 70’s, when she was looking into how to make great baby food with whole grain products. Kerstin met Annelies Schöneck, an expert in sourdough and lacto-fermented vegetables. In the book “Säd i daglig kost” (Grain in daily diet) Schöneck described the different treatment techniques that historically has been used in preparation of grains all over the world. Kerstin is primary care specialist and in 2002 she did her doctoral dissertation at the Department of Food Science, Chalmers University of Technology; “Inhibition of calcium and zinc absorption by phytate in man. Methodological studies and hydrothermal processing of cereals to improve absorption.”

Annette, now retired from a position as a senior research engineer and biomedical analyst at the Department of Food Science, Chalmers University of Technology, many years worked with analysis of, among other things, phytate and minerals.

Kerstin and Annette have in recent years resumed their work in realizing an idea of several years, with revived (bioprocessed) grains with enhanced uptake of minerals, now in the company Hidden in Grains.