This document provides information about various cereal grains and seeds that are cultivated for food. It discusses the main cereals - wheat, oats, rice, maize, rye and barley. For each cereal, it outlines their nutritional composition and common uses. The document also covers the structure of wheat grains, the role of gluten in breadmaking, different types of flour, and other wheat and rice products. It concludes with a brief overview of other seeds that are rich in nutrients.

1. SEEDS OF CULTIVATED
GRASSES
Cereals
© PDST Home Economics

2. MAIN CEREALS
 Wheat
 Oats
 Rice
 Maize (Corn)
 Rye
 Barley

3. WHEAT

4. OATS

5. RICE

6. MAIZE

7. BARLEY

8. RYE

9. AVERAGE COMPOSITION
Protein Fat Carbs. Vits. Mins. Water
7-15% 2-7% 70-77% 0.5% B 1%
Calcium
, Iron
12%

10. NUTRITIVE VALUE OF CEREALS
 Useful amount of protein, HBV, gluten, growth.
 Small amount of unsaturated fat, energy.
 Lots of carbohydrate, cellulose, starch, energy.
 Vitamin B group for nerves and energy.
 Calcium and Phosphorus for bones and
Iron for the blood.
 Very little water so they are easy to store.

11. VALUE OF CEREALS IN THE DIET
 Nutritious, especially whole grain products.
 Cheap.
 Filling.
 Good sort of protein for vegans.
 No waste.
 Easy to store, prepare, cook.
 Over eating cereals can cause obesity.
 Insipid.

12. EFFECTS OF COOKING ON
CEREALS
 Starch grains swell and burst.
 The starch grains absorb liquids and thicken them.
 Starch becomes digestible.
 Cellulose softens.
 Loss of vitamin B.

13. WHEAT GRAIN STRUCTURE
 Bran layer:
Fibre, Iron, Vit. B
 Endosperm:
Starch and Protein (gluten).
 Germ:
Fat, Vit. B, Iron, Protein

14. GLUTEN
 Protein found in wheat
 Becomes stretchy when
wet
 Allows dough to stretch
when it is rising.
 At a certain temperature
it sets and the dough
keeps the risen shape

15. FLOUR
 Flour can be made from wheat, rye, oats, maize, rice.
 Most common is wheat flour because of the gluten.
 To make wholemeal flour, grains are ground (milled).
 To make white flour the bran and germ are sieved out of
the wholemeal flour
 White flour is fortified with vitamins and minerals

16. TYPES OF FLOUR
Types Details
Wholemeal Flour Contains all parts of the grain
White Flour All the germ and bran removed
Self-raising Flour White flour with baking powder added
Strong Flour Contains extra gluten for yeast bread.
Gluten Free Flour Gluten removed for coeliacs

17. WHEAT PRODUCTS
 Flours
 Germ
 Bran
 Semolina
 Couscous
 Breakfast cereals
 Bread, cakes, biscuits

18. PASTA
 Made from the endosperm
(semolina) of durum wheat mixed
with water, shaped and then dried
 Sometimes eggs are added.
 Brown pasta made from wholemeal
flour
 Green pasta has spinach purée
added.
 Red pasta has tomato purée added.
 Black pasta has squid ink added

19. RICE
 Grown mostly in the Far East
 White “polished” rice loses fibre and vitamin B
 Other rice products:
krispies, flour, cakes, paper, wine, ground rice.
Type Detalis
Long grain rice (Patna) Savoury dishes e.g. curry
Medium grain rice (italian) (arborio) Risotto
Short grain rice (pearl) (pudding) (Carolina) Sweet dishes e.g. rice pudding
Basmati rice Savoury dishes
Treated rice Quick to cook e.g. “Uncle Bens” boil
in the bag
Brown rice More nutritious, 40 mins. to cook

20. OTHER SEEDS
 Rich in: Omega fatty acids, Fibre, Vitamin E.
 Sesame, linseed, pumpkin, sunflower