This book, written by leading grain scientists from Europe and Africa, examines six such grains that have been important food crops in various parts of the world and have the potential for much greater and more widespread use. The chemistry, nutritional value, food processing technologies and potential applications of three true cereals: sorghum, spelt wheat and the major millet species, and thee dicotyledonous psuedocereals: grain amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa are discussed.
Just three cereal grains account for more than 75% of all grains produced worldwide. This causes high risks for the future of humankind via catastrophic food crop failues and is detreimental to our old long-term health (deficiences of micronutrients, food allergens and inteolerances.) In addition, the intensive cultivations practices need to produce high yields of commerical cereals is frequently leading to environmental degredation and they are often inappropriate in the Developing World
Title: Pseudocereals and Less Common Cereals: Grain Properties and Utilization Potential
Editors: Peter S. Belton, John R. N. Taylor
Publisher: Springer-Verlag, Berlin
Year: 2002
ISBN: 3-540-42939-5
Libraries: Mann
Psuedocereals is an academic book with a lean towards commercial food processing rather than the whole-foods approach which we know is optimal for human health. (For instance, many authors assume that consumers will reject bread that does poorly on a "white bread scoring scale")Even so, it contains excellent coverage on the agriculture and nutrition of alternative grains.
Spelt, as it turns out, is a primitive form of wheat which is particularly suitable for organic cultivation. As a form of wheat, it contains gluten, which helps bread retain CO2 in the rising process. Because it's so convenient for commercial baking, spelt breads are widely available -- unfortunately, many of them are marketed as being "wheat free", which is deceptive. Spelt contains the same proteins, such as gluten, as other forms of wheat and can trigger symptoms in people intolerant to wheat.
Buckwheat is rich in flavonoids, particularly rutin, which is beneficial for people with high blood pressure. Quinoa, a staple of the Andes is rich in essential fatty acids and contains higher quality protein than other cereals. Because it's tolerant of high altitudes of low temperatures, it's cultivation is growing in South America and is spreading to other parts of the world, such as Canada. Sorghum and Millets are grown predominantly in Africa and Asia because they are tolerant of drought and can be processed into a range of products.
