Cereal And Caryopses

Cereal is a name derived from the Roman goddess, Ceres, meaning “to create” (Brown, 2015). The word cereal refers to all types of grains. Gramineae, are cereal grain seeds relative to the grass family. The grain kernel, or berry, is called the caryopsis; which is the edible part of the plant. Caryopses are individual kernels or grains found in all grasses (Brown, 2015). Each caryopsis contains a husk, bran, endosperm, and germ. A husk, also known as the chaff, is the protective outer layer of a grain. It protects the grain from environmental damages like frost, rain, wind, insects, and extreme temperatures. Husk are usually not consumed, but they can be processed into fiber supplements (Brown, 2015). Known for its rich fiber source, bran makes up about 15% of the grain. Bran is the hard outside layer that protects the grains’ soft endosperm (Brown, 2015). Making up about 83% of the grain, is the endosperm. The endosperm contains all the grains’ starch and it is the foundation of all flours. Refine flours is made by removing the husk, bran, and germ from the endosperm; then, it is milled into a powder. For whole grain flour, the bran and germ are milled into the flour. Last, the germ, or the embryo, accounts for only 2.5% of the grain. It is found at the base of the kernel. The …show more content…
Among the most common grains include: corn, wheat, barley, rice, and oats (Brown, 2015). While shredded wheat, hot cereals, and oatmeal, contain no further ingredients, most breakfast cereals contain added ingredients such as sugar, sweeteners, vitamins, coloring agents, and minerals. Types of breakfast sweeteners include, white sugar, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, malt, and concentrated fruit juice for natural flavors. Flavors such as cinnamon, chocolate, and fruit flavors are also added to enhance the taste. Vitamins and minerals are added back to cereals to replace those lost during processing (MRI,