Grains
Corn
Corn, also called Indian corn or maize, cereal plant of the grass family (Poaceae) and its edible grain. The domesticated crop originated in the Americas and is one of the most widely distributed of the world’s food crops. Corn is used as livestock feed, as human food, as biofuel, and as raw material in industry.
The corn plant is a tall annual grass with a stout, erect, solid stem. The large narrow leaves have wavy margins and are spaced alternately on opposite sides of the stem. Staminate (male) flowers are borne on the tassel terminating the main axis of the stem. The pistillate (female) inflorescences, which mature to become the edible ears, are spikes with a thickened axis, bearing paired spikelets in longitudinal rows; each row of paired spikelets normally produces two rows of grain. Varieties of yellow and white corn are the most popular as food, though there are varieties with red, blue, pink, and black kernels, often banded, spotted, or striped. Each ear is enclosed by modified leaves called shucks or husks.
Corn is the third largest plant-based food source in the world. Despite its importance as a major food in many parts of the world, corn is inferior to other cereals in nutritional value. Its protein is of poor quality, and it is deficient in niacin. Diets in which it predominates often result in pellagra (niacin-deficiency disease). Corn is high in dietary fiber and rich in antioxidants.
Soya Bean
The soybean, soybean, or soya bean (Glycine max) is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.
Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and tofu skin are made. Fermented soy foods include soy sauce, fermented bean paste, nattō, and tempeh. Fat-free (defatted) soybean meal is a significant and cheap source of protein for animal feeds and many packaged meals. For example, soybean products, such as textured vegetable protein (TVP), are ingredients in many meat and dairy substitutes.
Soybeans contain significant amounts of phytic acid, dietary minerals, and B vitamins. Soy vegetable oil, used in food and industrial applications, is another product of processing the soybean crop. Soybean is the most important protein source for feeding farm animals (that in turn yields animal protein for human consumption).
Barely
Barley (Hordeum vulgare), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley production is used as animal fodder, while 30% as a source of fermentable material for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various foods. It is used in soups and stews, and in barley bread of various cultures. Barley grains are commonly made into malt in a traditional and ancient method of preparation.
In 2017, barley was ranked fourth among grains in quantity produced (149 million tonnes or 330 billion pounds) behind maize (corn), rice, and wheat.
Wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus Triticum the most widely grown is common wheat (T. aestivum). The archaeological record suggests that wheat was first cultivated in the regions of the Fertile Crescent around 9600 BCE. Botanically, the wheat kernel is a type of fruit called a caryopsis.
Wheat is grown on more land area than any other food crop (220.4 million hectares or 545 million acres, 2014). World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined.
Wheat is an important source of carbohydrates. Globally, it is the leading source of vegetable proteins in human food, having a protein content of about 13%, which is relatively high compared to other major cereals but relatively low in protein quality (supplying essential amino acids). When eaten as a whole grain, wheat is a source of multiple nutrients and dietary fiber.
In a small part of the general population, gluten – comprising most of wheat protein – can trigger coeliac disease, noncoeliac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia, and dermatitis herpetiformis.
Soybean Meal
Soybean doesn’t only represent an important source of protein to human beings but also it’s considered a very important nutrition element to animals as well due to its rich composition of protein.
Soybean meal is a high protein-rich feed ingredient made from crushed soybeans that have most of their oil removed. It is widely used in animal nutrition, especially for poultry, dairy, swine, and aquaculture, as it provides essential amino acids and energy.
It can be processed by different methods, such as hydraulic, expeller, or solvent extraction, which affects its nutritional quality and digestibility. Soybean meal is low in methionine, an important amino acid for animals, and may need to be supplemented with synthetic or natural sources.
Sugar
Raw sugar is technically considered a processed food despite its name implies. It gets its name from the end result of processing sugarcane.
Normally it is produced by refining the sugarcane, it produces the molasses which is well-known for its dark brown color and caramelized taste. Usually, the molasses is removed during the production of granulated sugar, but when it comes to raw sugar, the molasses is left without being isolated. This is why raw sugar usually has a golden brown color and a sweet caramel flavor.
In brief, we can consider raw sugar as a type of minimally refined cane sugar which is widely used in almost all recipes of cakes, cookies, muffins and all kind of baked & non-baked sweets, due to its thicker texture and more sweet caramelized taste.
