Cereal grains are essential to our dietary needs, as well as for animal feeding and for industrial processing. Consumer needs can only be met by managing quality at all stages of the grain chain. Quality evaluation is also needed at each step for effective management. Cereal Grains: Assessing and Managing Quality provides convenient and comprehensive coverage of research and industry best practice in these areas.

Features:

• covers cereal grain morphology and composition and the diversity of the different uses of cereal grains
• examines the use of analytical methods at different stages of the value-addition chain
• addresses the factors affecting grain quality such as breeding, storage and grain processing, as well as possible future developments

Part One covers cereal grain morphology and composition and the diversity of uses of cereal grains.

Part Two examines the characteristics and quality requirements of particular cereals, including wheat, rye, corn and rice.

The use of analytical methods at different stages of the value-addition chain is the subject of Part Three.

Part Four addresses factors affecting grain quality such as breeding, storage and grain processing, and also possible future developments.

CONTENTS

Part 1: Cereal Grain Quality: An Introduction

An introduction to the cereal grains: major providers for mankind’s food needs

• Grains and people
• Agricultural grains
• Grain quality
• The management of grain quality

Cereal-grain morphology and composition

• Morphology and variety identification
• Ultrastructure of the grain
• Approaches to composition analysis
• Grain composition
• The effects of processing on composition

The diversity of uses for cereal grains

• Food
• Feed
• Industrial uses
• Utilisation of individual cereals
• Grain substitution
• Whole-plant utilization

Part 2: Characteristics and Quality Requirements of Specific Cereals

Wheat: characteristics and quality requirements

• Wheat as a genus
• Unique aspects of wheat
• Wheat production
• Wheat utilisation and quality requirements
• Testing for grain quality
• Managing grain quality

Rye and triticale: characteristics and quality requirements

• Origins and genetic constitution
• Worldwide production and regional distribution
• Distinctive aspects of morphology, grain defects and composition
• Utilisation and nutritional advantages
• Distinctive aspects of grain analysis
• Distinctive aspects of management

Barley: characteristics and quality requirements

• Unique morphological and biochemical characteristics of barley
• Production and major uses of barley
• Specific quality requirements for barley
• Maintaining barley quality

Oats: characteristics and quality requirements

• Classification, origins, and history
• Unique morphological and biochemical characteristics
• Production and major uses of oats
• Quality requirements for oats
• Maintaining and improving oat quality

Corn: characteristics and quality requirements

• The importance of corn production in the international arena
• Utilisation of corn
• The structure and chemical composition of corn
• Determination of corn quality
• Effect of agronomy and storage for quality
• Milling technologies
• Complex utilisation of corn

Rice: characteristics and quality requirements

• Unique characteristics of rice
• Quality traits
• Environmental effects on rice quality

Sorghum and millets: characteristics and quality requirements

• Description of sorghum and millets
• Current and emerging uses
• Sorghum and millet quality parameters and their assessment
• Existing sorghum and millet quality management systems

Part 3: Grain Quality Analysis

Analysis of grain quality at receival

• The US grain inspection system
• The Canadian grain inspection system
• The Australian grain inspection system
• The European Union grain inspection system
• The Argentine grain inspection system
• Traditional equipment used in wheat inspection at receival
• New technologies for use at grain receival

Identification of grain variety and quality type

• Variety identification
• Wheat
• Barley and Maize
• DNA-based variety identification
• Future challenges for variety identification
• Identification of quality type utilising molecular markers

Food safety aspects of grain and cereal product quality

• General principles of food safety with regards to cereals
• The role of agronomy
• Post harvest handling
• Grain processing (flour milling)
• Food processing

Part 4: Grain Quality Management

Breeding for grain-quality traits

• Breeding for improved wheat quality
• Breeding for starch quality and bioactive compounds in small-grain cereals
• Mutation breeding
• Transgenesis

The effects of growth environment and agronomy on grain quality

• Growing conditions and environment
• Sowing
• Weed control
• Disease control
• Crop nutrition
• Lodging and growth regulation

Maintaining grain quality during storage and transport

• Generic characteristics of storage
• Transport

Processing wheat to optimise product quality

• Procurement of wheat for processing
• Choice of wheats for blending
• Wheat milling
• Quality and assessment during and after milling
• Starch and gluten production

Grain quality: the consumer, the scientist, the technologist and the future

• The process of grain quality innovation
• Breeding for grain quality
• Grain growing
• Grain receival and segregation
• Grain storage and transport
• Grain processing
• Nutritional benefits of grain – real and perceived
• Government concerns, population pressures and world-trade policies relating to cereal grains

Appendices

Appendix 1: Composition of grains and grain products

• Preparation of the nutrient tables
• Nutrient contents of grains and grain-related products

Appendix 2:+ Equivalence between metric and US units for the grain industry

• The metric system
• Imperial units in two versions

Index

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