2. • Wheat is used principally for human
consumption.
• It is converted into flour for the production of
bread and other bakery products.
• It is used as ‘Chapatti’ in India.
• Wheat is being cultivated from prehistoric
times(5000 BC) and is grown throughout the
world.
• It is adaptable to different soils, climates and
elevations.
• Wheat belongs to the genus Triticum and there
are over 30,000 species and varieties.
INTRODUCTION
4. Structure of wheat
WHEAT KERNEL: Wheat kernels are the seeds of the wheat
plant, and they are the part of the plant that is milled into flour.
Wheat kernels have three main parts:
THE ENDOSPERM: While whole wheat flour contains all three parts of the
kernel, white flour is milled from the endosperm. The endosperm makes up the
bulk of the kernel. It is the whitest part, partly because it contains mostly starch-
typically 70-75 percent starch. The starch is embedded in chunks of protein. Two
important proteins in the endosperm of wheat kernels are the gluten-forming
proteins, glutenin and gliadin.
5. THE GERM: It is the embryo of the wheat plant. Given the right
conditions, the germ sprouts- germinates- and grows into a new plant.
Wheat germ is high in protein, fat, B vitamins, Vitamin E, and minerals.
These nutrients are important to the germ as it sprouts.
THE BRAN: It is the protective outer covering of the wheat kernel. It is
usually darker in color than the endosperm, except white wheat, which
has a light bran.
7. COMPOSITION OF WHEAT
The values reported for Indian wheat are:
Moisture 8.0-17.0
Starch 63-71
Sugars 2-3
Protein 8-15
Crude fibre 2-2.5
fat 1.5-2 and ash 1.5-2 percent
The protein content of improved Indian wheat varieties has been reported to vary
from 9.1 to 14.2 percent.
8. • MINERALS: The mineral constituents present in Indian wheats are
(mg/day): Calcium 41.0; Magnesium 138.0; Phosphorus 306.0; Iron
4.9.
• LIPIDS: The total lipid content of Indian wheat varies from about
0.97 to 2.28 per cent. The lipid content of endosperm (1-2 percent)
is less than that of bran (5-6 percent) or germ (8-15 percent) but
the proportion of compound lipids in the endosperm is much
higher.
• VITAMINS: Whole wheat is a good source of thiamine and
nicotinic acid, but is relatively poor in riboflavin. Other members of
B- vitamins are present in small quantities. The distribution of
some of the B- vitamins in the structural parts of the kernel of
Indian wheat is given in the table in the next slide.
10. FRACTION OF WHEAT
ENDOSPERM GERM BRAN
Starch 95.8 31.5 14.1
Sugar 1.5 36.4 7.6
Cellulose 0.3 16.8 35.2
Hemicellulose 2.4 15.3 43.1
• CARBOHYDRATES: Among carbohydrates of wheat, particularly all of
the starch is in the endosperm, while the soluble sugars are mostly found
in the germ. The carbohydrates of bran are largely cellulose and
hemicellulose. The distribution of carbohydrates in wheat fractions is
presented in the table below:
11. REFERENCE
• Sharma A, Textbook of Food Science and Technology, (2017), 3rd edition,
(pg. 31), CBS Publishers & Distributers Pvt Ltd.
• Manay N S et al, Foods Facts And Principles, (2023), 5th edition, (pg. 233-
235), New Age International P Ltd
