Cereals And Germination: A Biochemical Process

1699 Words4 Pages

Cereals, millets and legumes are generally pre-processed by fermentation, germination (malting), cooking, milling and roasting to enhance their functional and nutritional values. Germination/sprouting/malting is a biochemical process which involves transition of a seed from dormant state to vital active state. The prime objective of this traditional process is to promote the development of hydrolytic enzymes that are not active in raw seeds (Dewar et al., 1997). Malting is a complex process that involves many enzymes; important ones are -amylase, -amylase, -glucosidase, and limit dextrinase that improves the nutritive value of foods through controlled germination followed by controlled drying of the kernels. Since germination is cheap and more effective in improving nutritional value it was incorporated in mixes to contribute to the nutrition of people (Rusydi et al., 2011).
The process of malting comprises three unit operations: steeping, germination and drying. During steeping, kernels are immersed in water until to start the metabolic processes of germination. The germination phase begins …show more content…

It plays a vital role in cholesterol metabolism, and thus controls blood cholesterol levels. Due to its nutritional benefits, whole green gram is recommended to be consumed directly in different forms and ways, for example, it can be cooked with vegetables or meats as well as desserts or can be processed to starch or flour which is used as an ingredient in many food products. Normally, whole green gram is allowed to germinate for three to four days which is suitable for direct consumption and can be eaten fresh or cooked as vegetable accompaniment to a meal. However, its anti-nutritional factors limit the food applications. Many literatures have indicated the improvement of nutrients in whole green gram sprout by germination

Open Document