Ayaz Latif Siyal

M.Sc Plant Breeding & Genetics

latifayazsiyal@gmail.com
+923337579719
P/O Pacca Chang, Taluka Faiz gunj, District Khairpur Mirs Sindh Pakistan.

WHEAT ITS GRAIN & SHAPE

OVERVIEW OF WHEAT

A grain is a small, hard, dry seed, with or without an

attached hull or fruit layer, harvested for human or animal
consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two
main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legumes.
Grains and cereals are synonymous with caryopses, the fruits
of the grass family. In agronomy and commerce, seeds or fruits
from other plant families are called grains if they resemble
caryopses. All cereal crops are members of the grass family (Poaceae). Cereal grains contain
a substantial amount of starch, a carbohydrate that provides dietary energy.

Warm-season cereals

Cool-season cereals
Pseudocereal grains

Pulses

Oilseeds

WHEAT
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain which is a worldwide staple
food. There are many species of wheat which together make up the genus Triticum; the most
widely grown is common wheat (T. aestivum).
Wheat is grown on more land area than any other food crop (220.4 million hectares, 2014).
World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined. In 2016, world production
of wheat was 749 million tonnes, making it the second most-produced cereal after maize.
Since 1960, world production of wheat and other grain crops has tripled and is expected to
grow further through the middle of the 21st century.

Wheat is an important source of carbohydrates. Globally, it is the leading source of vegetal

protein 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 for supplying essential
amino acids. When eaten as the whole grain, wheat is a source of
multiple nutrients and dietary fiber.

MAJOR CULTIVATED SPICIES OF WHEAT

Hexaploid species

Common wheat or bread wheat (T. aestivum)

Hexaploid species that is the most widely cultivated in the world.

Spelt (T. spelta)

Another hexaploid species cultivated in limited quantities, Spelt is sometimes

considered a subspecies of the closely related species common wheat (T. aestivum), in
which case its botanical name is considered to be T. aestivum ssp. spelta.

Tetraploid species

Durum (T. durum)

A tetraploid form of wheat widely used today, and the second most widely cultivated
wheat.

Emmer (T. dicoccon)

A tetraploid species, cultivated in ancient times but no longer in widespread use.

Khorasan (T. turgidum ssp. turanicum, also called T. turanicum)

It is a tetraploid wheat species. It is an ancient grain type; Khorasan refers to a

historical region in modern-day Afghanistan and the northeast of Iran. This grain is
twice the size of modern-day wheat and is known for its rich nutty flavor.
Diploid species

Einkorn (T. monococcum)

Diploid species with wild and cultivated variants, Domesticated at the same time as
emmer wheat.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF WHEAT

First, wheat is primarily classified according to its growing season.

Winter Wheat planted in the fall, harvested in the spring, comprises

approximately 75% of wheat grown in the U.S.
Spring Wheat planted in the spring, harvested in late summer or early fall.

Beyond the growing season, wheat is further categorized according to its

hardness(hard/soft), color (red/white) and shape of its kernel. In the end, were left
with the following six types of wheat:

Hard Red Winter

Hard Red Spring
Soft Red Winter
Durum
Hard White Wheat
Soft White Wheat
THE DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF WHEAT

The protein content of the wheat is what primarily determines what the wheat w ill be
used for and the greater the protein, the greater the elasticity of the dough will be.

Hard red winter and hard red spring contain the highest percentages of
protein are most often used in goods requiring size, like breads and rolls.
Hard white and soft white contain the lowest percentages of protein and best
suited for baked goods like cakes, cookies, crackers, pastries and muffins.

The color of the wheat plays a part too and as you may have already guessed, red
wheat is darker than white wheat. Red wheat also has a stronger, more bitter
flavor than white. This isnt a big deal for many of us home bakers, but it is a big
deal when youre a big manufacturer trying to create a product thats visually
appealing to your consumer.

Soft red winter is often used in blatantly obvious brown crackers and flat
breads. These are often marketed as whole grain crackers and such.
Soft white is used in goods when manufactures want the item to look and taste
white, but be able to claim as healthy with wheat. One example of this are
muffins made with white wheat.

BLENDING DIFFERENT TYPES OF WHEAT FOR DIFFERENT

FLOURS

Generally speaking, the nutritional profiles of the grains do not differ much beyond
the protein. Essentially, you could swap one wheat for another and the nutrition
(except the protein) would remain fairly consistent. Thats why youll find many
people using white wheat for bread at home when theyre trying to wean their families
away from processed white flour.

But the only time youre getting 100% whole wheat is when the label literally says
100% whole wheat or 100% white whole wheat, in which case the only difference
is the color, harvesting season and protein content.
Did you know that 100% whole wheat can only be claimed if the resul ting flour
contains all three portions of the grain (bran, germ, endosperm) in same proportion as
they are found in the original grain?

There are many other flours that arent 100% whole wheat though. So then, what are
they made of?

All-Purpose Flour. 80% hard red wheat, 20% soft red wheat. Remember that
this is made only from the endosperm, which has very little (if any) nutrients
and very little color, since the germ and bran are naturally darker. Remember
that all-purpose flour tends to be bleached and enriched.

Bread Flour. Most varieties are made from hard red spring wheat, since it
contains the highest level of protein and bread flour is ideal for bread. This is
also milled only from the endosperm, so there is little, if any, nutri tion. Bread
flour also tends to be bleached and enriched.

Cake Flour. Usually derived from soft white wheat, but again only from the
endosperm.

Pastry Flour. With a slightly higher percentage of protein than cake flour, this
is likely derived from the endosperm of hard white wheat.

Self-Rising Flour. A combination of all-purpose flour, baking powder and

salt. Not recommended, since the all-purpose flour is likely bleached and
theres no control over the quantity of baking powder and salt in the mixture
(which makes using it in a recipe that calls for both ingredients nearly
impossible). Plus the baking powder can become ineffective in humid
climates.

Stone-Ground Whole Wheat Flour. Made the old fashioned way with stones
grinding the wheat berries instead of steel mills. Bread connoisseurs claim
stone-ground flour retains more nutrients than steel milled because the heat
generated from the steel mills can harm some of the nutrients.