Cereals and Pulses
Dr. Pracheth R.
Outline
• Classification of foods
• Nutritional profile of cereals and pulses
Introduction
• Nutrition: science of food, its relationship to
health
• Nutrient/ food factor: specific dietary
constituent : proteins, vitamins, minerals
• Dietetics: application of principles of nutrition
• Good nutrition: grow well, good health
Classification of foods
• By origin:
Animal
Vegetable
• By chemical composition:
Proteins
Fats
Carbohydrates
Vitamins
Minerals
Continued
• By predominant function:
Body-building foods: milk, meat, poultry, fish,
eggs
Energy-giving foods: cereals, sugars, roots,
tubers, fats and oils
Protective foods: vegetables, fruits, milk
Continued
• By nutritive value:
Cereals and millets
Pulses
Vegetables
Nuts and oilseeds
Fruits
Animal foods
Fats and oils
Sugar, jaggery
Condiments, spices
Balanced diet
Nutrients
• Macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fats:
proximate principles
• Micronutrients: vitamins ,minerals
Essential amino acids
• Some 20, of which 9 essential
• Leucine, isoleucine,lysine, methionine,
phenylalanine, threonine, valine, tryptophan,
histidine.
• Functions:
Form niacin from tryptohan
Methionine: donor methyl groups-synthesis of
choline, folates, nucleic acids
Glycaemic index
• Area under two-hour blood glucose response
curve following ingestion of test dose of
crabohydrate
• Low GI (55 or less): most fruits, vegetables
(except potatoes, watermelon), whole grains,
beans
• Medium (56-69): sucrose, basmati rice, brown
rice
• High (70 or more): corn flakes, baked potato,
white bread.
Dietary fibre
• Remnants of edible parts of plants,
carbohydrates, resistant to digestion,
absorption-small intestine with complete/ partial
fermentation: large intestine
• Reduced coronary artery disease
• Binds bile salts, prevents reabsorption, reduces
cholesterol level
Dietary fibre
• Soluble or insoluble
• Cereal, vegetables, fruits
Nutritional profile of foods
• Cereals:
 Bulk of daily diet
Rice staple food
Next to that maize, wheat
Main sources of energy (carbohydrates)
Poor in essential amino acid, lysine
Cereals+pulses: compliment
Rice
• Germ , inner endosperm, outer pericarp
• Richer in lysine than other cereal proteins
• Good source of Vitamin B, thiamine
• Devoid: A,D, C
• Poor source of calcium, iron.
• 100 grams: 345 Kcal, 78 grams carbohydrate, 6-9
grams protein
• RDA: 460 grams
Effect of milling
• Deprives rice grain of its nutritive elements
(thiamine, riboflavin, protein)
• Attractive, poor nutritive value
• Beri beri
Washing and cooking
• Further loss of essential nutrients
• Removes water soluble vitamins, minerals
• Cooking in large water: drain excess water
• Cooking: loss of B group vitamins.
Parboiling
• CFTRI: hot soaking process
• Soak paddy : 65-70 degree C: 3-4 hours, swells
grain
• Drain water, steam soaked paddy : 5-10 minutes
• Paddy: dried, homepounded, milled.
• Vitamins, minerals: outer alneurone layer- inner
endosperm
Parboiling
Wheat
• Second most important
• Protein content: 9-16 %
• Bulk: consumed as wheat flour/atta
• Whiter wheat flour: more loss-vitamins, minerals
• 100 grams: 346 Kcal, carbohydrate: 71 grams, 916 grams protein, 1.5 gram fat.
• Limiting amino acid: lysine, threonine
• RDA: 460 grams.
Wheat : picture
Maize (corn)
• Food for cattle, poultry
• Yellow variety: carotenoid pigments
• Fairly rich in fat (3.6 grams)
• Protein : deficient in tryptophan, lysine
• Manufacture: corn flakes
• Custards
Maize picture
Millets
• Smaller grains,
• Ground and eaten: without outer layer removed
Jowar (sorghum)
• Major crop next to wheat, rice
• Protein content: 9-14 percent
• Limiting AA : lysine, threonine
• Certain: high leucine, consumption: pellagra
Jowar picture
Bajra (pearl millet)
• Grown: northern India
• Protein : 10-14 percent
• Deficient: lysine, threonine
• Contains minerals: calcium, iron.
• Ragi: Andhra, Karnataka.
Cheapest among millets
Rich in calcium
Bajra picture
Ragi
• Popular millet: AP, Karnataka
• Cheapest among millets
• 100 grams: 328 Kcal, 72 grams carbohydrate, 1.3
grams proteins, 344 mg calcium, 1.3 grams fats
• Cooked , eaten: porridge
• Roughage : normal bowel movement
• Rich: calcium
• RDA: 460 grams
Ragi picture
Pulses (legumes)
• Consist grams –dhals
• Bengal gram (chana)
• Red gram (tuvar)
• Green gram (mung)
• Black gram
Pulses
• Khesari dhal (lathyrus sativus)-lathyrism
• Pulses: 20-25% of proteins
• More protein than eggs, fish, flesh
What is dhal?
• Dhal: dried pulse which is split
• Outer hull stripped off
• Nutritive value same
Green gram
Common for all pulses
• Poor man’s meat
• Germination: higher Vitamins: C, B
• Poor in methionine, rich in lysine
• RDA: 40 gram
• 100 grams: 348 Kcal, 60 gram carbohydrate, 24.5
gram protein, 1.2 gram fat
Green gram dal picture
Bengal gram
• Used in the preparation of Nutritional
Supplementary Foods : Balahar, NIN mix
• Protein: 17.5 grams
Bengal gram picture
Bengal gram dal picture
Red gram
• Protein: 22.3 grams
• Contains B group proteins, lacks Vitamin C
Red gram picture
Black gram
• Protein: 24 grams
• Black gram dhal and rice mixture: used to make
Idli and Dosa is slightly fermented
• Fermentation: increased digestibility, flavour
Black gram picture
Kidney bean (Rajma)
Kidney bean (Rajma)
• Phaseolus vulgaris
• More common: North India
• Protein: 24 grams
• Good source: calcium, iron
Soyabean
• Richest of pulses
• Contains 40% proteins, 20% fats, 4% minerals
• Can be cooked and eaten as dhal.
Kesari Dal
• Triangular shape, grey colour
• Good source : protein
• Toxin : affects nerve
• Poor agricultrural labourer
• Diets 30% pulse: 2-6months- disease
Toxin
• Beta Oxalyl Amino Alanine
• Isolated in crystalline form, water soluble (Used
in removing toxin by soaking in hot water)
• Blood – brain barrier
• Bulk : 2months /more
Disease
• Latent stage :
 Healthy, when stressed – ungainly gait
 Neurological examination: characteristic signs
 Important : preventive aspect
• No- stick stage :
 Short jerky steps, without stick
 Large no patients : this stage
Continued
• One-stick stage :
 Crossed gait, tends to walk on toes
Muscular stiffness : stick to maintain balance
• Two- stick stage :
 Excessive bending of knees, crossed legs: two
crutches for support
Gait : slow, clumsy
 Tired easily after short distance
Continued
Crawler stage :
 Erect posture impossible
Knee joint can’t support
body weight
 Atrophy : thigh, leg muscles
Crawling by throwing weight on
his hands
•
Lathyrism pictures
Lathyrism pictures
Interventions
• Vitamin C prophylaxis :
 500-1000 mg ascorbic acid : 1week
Provide ascorbic acid in diet
• Banning crop:
 Extreme step : not feasible
PFA : banned lathyrus in all forms
Not desirable to avoid consuming : but should not exceed ¼ of
total cereals , pulses per day.
Continued
Removal of toxin:
Steeping method
 Toxins water soluble : removed by soaking pulse
in water
 Large quantity of water boiled, pulse soaked in
hot water : 2hours, soaked water drained off
completely
Pulse again washed with water, drained off,
dried in sun
Fit for consumption
•
Continued
Parboiling:
 Improved method of detoxication
 Applicable :large scale basis
Just like rice
Simple soaking in lime water overnight, then boil
: destroys toxins
Continued
Education
Genetic approach :
 Certain strains : low level toxin (0.1%)
 Cultivate such strains
Socio- economic development
Summary
Thanks 