What are the nutritional characteristics of cereals

Cereals for the seeds of plants in the gramineae family, China's consumption of the main cereals for wheat and rice, followed by corn, sorghum, millet and other grains. Nutritional characteristics of cereals are mainly the following:

1, cereals in the protein content of general changes in 7% to 16%, an average of about 10%, cereal protein amino acid imbalance, generally lack of lysine (called the first restriction of amino acids), followed by threonine is also less for the second restriction of amino acids, the biological value (i.e., can be utilized as a ratio) is relatively low, generally about 50 to 60%.

2, cereal carbohydrates are mainly in the form of starch, the content of up to 70% or more, starch after cooking and heating is easily digested, absorbed, is the body's most ideal and economical source of heat.

3, the fat content of cereals is very low, about 1% to 2%, mainly concentrated in the grain germ and grain skin. Wheat and corn germ contains a lot of oil, unsaturated fatty acids accounted for more than 80%, of which 60% for linoleic acid, with the lowering of blood cholesterol, to prevent atherosclerosis, so the germ oil (plus corn umbilical cord oil) is a high nutritional value of cooking oil. Athletes add appropriate amount of wheat germ in the food to combat fatigue has a certain effect.

4, cereals are dietary B vitamins, especially vitamin B1 and vitamin P-P (niacin) an important source of vitamins, most of the vitamin is concentrated in the paste powder layer, the absorption layer and germ. Processing too fine or too much rice can be lost in large quantities.

5, cereal inorganic salt content is generally 1.5% to 3.0%, its distribution is the same as cellulose, mainly in the skin and flour layer. Inorganic salts in about 50% to 60% is phosphorus, and these phosphorus and more in the form of phytic acid and calcium, magnesium combined into a salt and the existence of a high rate of flour phytic acid content is not conducive to the absorption of food in the Ca, Fe, CU, zn and se, the rational processing of cereals can improve the nutritional value of cereals.