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From field to fork: How does grain quality affect your diet?
Grains play a vital role in our daily diet. Not only are they the main ingredient in most foods, they are also a key ingredient in animal feed. However, what exactly is the quality of grains that can have a positive impact on our diets? This issue has attracted widespread attention, especially in today's society, where concerns about food quality and safety are rising.
Overall grain quality is affected by many factors, including production practices, harvest time and type, post-harvest handling, storage management and transportation practices.
Factors affecting grain quality
The quality of the grain depends on its use. In the production of ethanol, the chemical composition of grains, such as starch content, is particularly important; in the production of food and feed, properties such as protein, oil and sugar are particularly important; and in the milling industry, the soundness of grains is an important factor in assessing quality. main indicators. In addition, for farmers, high germination rates and seed dormancy are also critical; for consumers, attributes such as color and flavor are the most important factors.
Quality attributes of grains
Generally speaking, the good and bad of grain quality can be summarized from the following ten main factors:
- Uniform moisture content
- High test weight
- No foreign objects
- Low proportion of discolored, broken and damaged grains
- Low breakability
- High milled grain quality
- High protein and oil content
- High survivability
- Free of aflatoxins (mycotoxins)
- No insects or mold
Classification and specification of grains
Grain grading and regulatory systems are designed to ensure that specific batches of grain meet the standards required by food regulatory agencies, such as the FDA in the United States and the FSA in the United Kingdom. Grain grading in many countries depends primarily on four attributes:
- Check weight
- Moisture content
- Proportion of broken foreign matter or particles
- Damaged grains (such as total damage and heat damage)
Chemical and physical properties of cereals
The chemical properties of grains have a significant impact on their quality. Taking wheat as an example, the protein content and quality of wheat are often one of the key considerations when purchasing and trading. Proteins in wheat are mainly divided into five different categories, including albumin, globulin, gelatin, protein, and gluten. The content of these proteins directly affects the grinding and baking quality of wheat.
The color, composition, and physical properties of wheat, such as hardness, particle size, and shape, all play an important role in the end product of the grain, such as flour.
Rice quality assessment
Rice quality can be assessed by a variety of factors, and these criteria vary depending on cooking methods and uses. For the grading of meters, it mainly includes the following standards:
- Grinding quality
- Cooking and eating quality
- Nutritional value
- Specified standards of cleanliness, soundness and purity
The impact of grain quality on consumption
Grain quality not only affects farmers' profits, but is also directly related to the dietary health of ordinary consumers. High-quality grains provide us with more nutrients, while poor-quality grains can be harmful to our health. In addition, changes in cereal formats such as color, size and taste also affect consumer choice and experience.
Today's consumers are choosing cereals not only for their hearth uses, but also for their long-term health effects.
Cereal quality is an important issue in global food safety and public health, which directly affects our diet and lifestyle. With the advancement of science and technology, how to strike a balance between industrial production and consumer demand has become an important challenge for the agricultural and food industry in the future?
