Cereal processing - Articles and news items

Processing of oat grainstobeneficial whole grain consumer goods

Issue 5 2011 / 1 November 2011 / Laura Stenhouse, UK Seasoning and Systems Manager, PepsiCo

Interest in the role of whole grain consumption has increased substantially over the past few years due to their health benefits. Despite the reported benefits of whole grain intake, namely stating that regular consumption of whole grain foods are associated with a reduction in the incidence of chronic disease states, consumption of whole grain foods in several Western countries is less than one serving per day.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Healthy People 2010 recommends the consumption of at least three servings of whole grain (each equivalent to three ounces / 85 grams) per day. According to the Healthgrain Project, following a survey investigating whole grain consumption, it was reported in 2006 that adults over 65 years old consume a weekly average of less than five servings; adults of 24 – 64 eat only a weekly average of 2.5 servings per week with 16 – 24 year old adults only having one serving per week. These surveys not only reported these findings but stated that 95 per cent of British adults and 94 per cent of British children do not eat the recommended daily amount of three servings per day. (more…)

Extrusion of cereals

Issue 4 2010 / 26 August 2010 / Mian N. Riaz, Head of Extrusion Technology Program, Texas A&M University

The world cereal yield was 2,219 million tons in 2009, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation1. Cereal grains are grown all over the world and provide more food energy than any other type of crop, they are therefore staple crops. Cereals can be consumed in their natural form as whole grain and they are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, oils and protein. However, some cereals are processed using different methods where bran and germ are removed; the remaining endocarp is mostly carbohydrate and lacks the majority of the other nutrients.

In some developing nations, grain is in the form of rice, wheat, or maize (in American termin – ology: corn), which constitutes a majority of daily sustenance. In developed nations, cereal consumption is moderate and varied but still substantial. Cereals are processed using different methods to develop several cereal products that are consumed on a daily basis. One of the most commonly used processing methods for cereal is extrusion. This technology is used to develop breakfast cereal, extruded snacks, cereal based ingredients and several other cereals based on extruded food products.
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Recent applied research in baking at Campden BRI

Issue 4 2009 / 12 December 2009 / Gary Tucker, Head of Bakery & Cereal Processing Department, Campden BRI

At Campden BRI, the Department of Baking & Cereal Processing aims to combine science and technology in order to provide technical support for the international baking and cereal processing industries. The success of the Department is based on a broad, practical experience of cereal and bakery technologies that enables it to help customers resolve ingredient and processing problems, and to measure ingredient and product quality.

Training programmes offered by the team are renowned for their practical elements combined with sound technical knowledge, and are equally popular with global businesses and artisan bakers. In addition to the courses listed in the training brochure, there are at least as many confidential courses given to clients, held either at Campden BRI or a client’s site. These enable the course content to focus on ingredients, products and processes that are specific to a single client, and discussions are confidential to that client. This type of course has been gaining in popularity for some time.

This article, however, will focus on two key areas for developing research and services, which are currently the contribution of baked products to a healthier diet and sustainable manufacturing. Highlights from recent projects are presented. (more…)

Cisgenesis: a novel way to combat late blight

Issue 3 2009 / 10 September 2009 / Anton Haverkort, Senior Researcher, Wageningen University and Research Centre

In most countries with temperate climates, cereal, notably wheat, is the most important arable crop. In a few countries such as the Netherlands, potato dominates. In the European Union, over 50 million hectares of wheat is grown against approximately two million hectares of potato, yielding some 70 million tons of tubers. The majority of the produce is consumed as fresh table potatoes but almost one fifth is processed into starch for industrial and food industry purposes, into frozen products such as french fries and into snacks such as chips (crisps in the UK).

The potato crop in Europe lost some of its importance, especially because in central and eastern Europe, its use as fodder almost disappeared. However, in developing countries the crop is still gaining importance rapidly. China and India together now account for one third of the global production of over 300 million tons annually.

Potato grows well in cool temperate climates as found in northern European summers, in subtropical winters and in mountainous areas in the tropics. There are two main challenges to grow potatoes: the vegetatively multiplied crop needs healthy seed – grown in an area or period of the year devoid of insects that transmit viruses – and the crop is not resistant to its main enemy: late blight caused by a fungus like organism (oomycete) Phytophthora infestans. Four hundred years ago, the potato – from a late blight free area in Peru – was introduced to Europe by Spaniards and gradually replaced cereals in northern Europe. The famous Swedish botanist Linnaeus named the plant Solanum tuberosum. In Ireland, the crop contributed to increased population growth and this country was hardest hit when potato tubers infected with late blight originating from North America came to the European continent. Within a few years in the 1840′s, potato yields were decimated because of the disease. (more…)