Cereals and Grains

CEREALS/ GRAINS

Cereal is a broad term used for those plants belonging to the grass family while the seeds produced by the grass family are known as grains. Cereals and grains are largely dependable diets for both man and animals and birds alike. The cereals form the staple food to most countries such as millet, rice, maize, wheat, guinea corn, oats etc.

The nutritive values of cereals and grains are largely carbohydrate which varies from seventy to eighty. A refined cereal contains higher carbohydrates than a whole grain cereal which contains more protein and fats

PREPARATION OF CEREALS

Milling is the first step in the utilization of cereal, it is the process of crushing the grain into flour by passing into the machine. Dried maize can be milled to produce maize gruel (pap).

Guinea corn and millet can also be prepared in this way. Rice is milled to remove the husk to produce brown rice, polished rice. Wheat is also milled into flour before being prepared as food. However some cereals are consumed without milling e.g. maize is boiled, roasted and consumed as snacks.

The proportion of the whole grain used to make flour is known as the extraction rate.

LOW EXTRACTION RATE FLOUR: they are produced from cereals in which all the layers are removed, they are very white and low in nutrient content.

HIGH EXTRACTION RATE FLOUR: they are produced from partially milled cereals that still retain some of the outer layer. They are not as white as the low extraction rate flour but are better in nutritive value.

The flour obtained from cereal grain can be mixed with other ingredients and can be used in baking as in bread, cake, biscuit etc.

PARBOILING: this involves soaking and steaming rice grains still in their husks. The rice is then dried and milled.

The steaming process causes some of the vitamin B group to diffuse into the white interior and harden the grain. Parboiled rice retains its embryo and some of its outer layer which makes it richer in vitamins and minerals.

METHODS OF COOKING CEREALS

1. Boiled meal e.g. maize, rice
2. Roasted meal: as snacks e.g. maize.
3. Maize can be milled and used for breakfast cereal like extracted flakes, rolled and shredded cereals.
4. Cooked cereals e.g. pap (ogi), oats etc. millet, wheat and rice are also made into porridge.
5. Pasta is made from wheat E.g. spaghetti, macaroni, noodles etc.

EVALUATION: explain high and low extraction rate of flour.

B. describe the parboiling method of local rice.

ASSIGNMENT: draw and label the structure of a typical cereal.