Since the beginning of agricultural production in the prehistoric time, cereals have been the main agricultural products in most parts of the world playing an important role in nutrition generally and in protein supply.
Cereal is any member of the grass family (Gramineae) which produced edible grains usable as food by humans and livestock. Common cereals are rice, wheat, barley, oats, maize (corn), sorghum, rye, and certain millets, with corn, rice, and wheat being the most important.
Developed by scientists, triticale is a new cereal derived from crossing wheat and rye and then doubling the number of chromosomes in the hybrid. Occasionally, grains from other grasses (for example, teff) are used for food.
Cereals provide more food for human consumption than any other crops.
Carbohydrate is the main substance in cereals. Cereals have crude fiber and starch, though the nutritive value fiber is not much it performs other valuable functions which enable the motility of intestine.
These days dietary fiber has an important place as it reduces the cholesterol content in the blood and prevent the occurrence of colon cancer.
Whole grains are good sources of dietary fiber, essential fatty acids, and other important nutrients.
Rice is the most important of the cereal as used as the staple food by more than half of the world’s population. Among the other cereals the more important are wheat and maize, followed by a few other cereals called as millets and known by several vernacular names depending upon the region.
Rice is eaten as cooked entire grains, although rice flour is also produced. Oats are rolled, ground, or cut into bits (steel-cut oats) and cooked into porridge. Most other cereals are ground into flour or meal, that is milled.
Polishing of rice, which separate out the outer coating or bran, remove the vitamins. This lessens the nutritional value but makes the grain more resistant to degradation and makes the grain more appealing to many palates.
Milled grains do keep better because the outer layers of the grains are rich in rancidity-prone fats. The waste from milling is sometimes mixed into a prepared animal feed.
Once milled and ground, the resulting flour is made into bread, pasta, desserts, dumplings, and many other products. Besides cereals, flour is sometimes made from potatoes, chestnuts and pulses.
Cereals are the main source of energy providing about 350 kcal per 100 grams. Cereals and grain legumes together may contribute 70% to 90% of the calories in the daily diet and a almost proportion of dietary protein; at least, that is the situation in India.
Cereal proteins are typically poor in nutritive quality, being deficient in essential amino acid lysine. The proteins of maize are particularly poor, being deficient in lysine and tryptophan (a precursor of niacin).
The mixed diet containing different proteins was characteristics of the greatest part of the population.
Rice proteins are richer in lysine than other common cereal proteins and for this reason, rice protein is considered to be of better quality. Rice is a good source of B group vitamins, especially thiamine. It is devoid of vitamins A, D, C and is a poor source of calcium and iron.
The Value of Cereal
