Cereal germ

Detailed illustration of the different parts constituting a wheat kernel.
Detailed illustration of the different parts constituting a wheat kernel.

The germ of a cereal grain is the part that develops into a plant;[1] it is the seed embryo.[2] Along with bran, germ is often a by-product of the milling[3] that produces refined grain products. Cereal grains and their components, such as wheat germ oil,[4] rice bran oil, and maize bran,[5] may be used as a source from which vegetable oil is extracted, or used directly as a food ingredient. The germ is retained as an integral part of whole-grain foods.[6] Non-whole grain methods of milling are intended to isolate the endosperm, which is ground into flour, with removal of both the husk (bran) and the germ. Removal of bran produces a flour with a white rather than a brown color and eliminates fiber. The germ is rich in polyunsaturated fats (which have a tendency to oxidize and become rancid on storage) and so germ removal improves the storage qualities of flour.[7]

  1. ^ Black, Michael J.; Shishir; Peter Hunter (11 September 2001). The Encyclopedia of Seeds – Science, Technology and Uses. CAB International. ISBN 9780851997230. Retrieved 9 July 2009. The embryo is that part of the seed that germinates and grows into the vegatative plant. In cereal grains, embryos (germs)...
  2. ^ Ellis, Carleton; Annie Louise Macleod (1922). Vital Factors of Foods – Vitamins and Nutrients. D. Van Nostrand Company. Retrieved 9 July 2009. ...the germ or embryo of the grain...
  3. ^ Hui, Yiu H.; Ramesh C. Chandan; Stephanie Clark; Nanna Cross; Joannie C. Dobbs; William J. Hurst; Erika B. Smith; Leo M. Nollet; Eyal Shimoni; Nirmal Sinha (27 April 2007). Handbook of Food Products Manufacturing: Principles, Bakery, Beverages, Cereals, Cheese, Confectionary, Fats, Fruits, and Functional Foods. Wiley-Interscience. ISBN 978-0-470-12524-3. Retrieved 9 July 2009. There are two methods that are used for the dry-milling process: milling without removal of the cereal germ, the oldest method, and milling with removal of the cereal germ, the method most used today to ensure a better preservation.
  4. ^ Keville, Kathi; Mindy Green (16 December 2008). Aromatherapy. The Crossing Press. ISBN 978-1-58091-189-4. Retrieved 9 July 2009. Table: Vegetable Oil Stability [includes wheat germ]
  5. ^ Stellman, Jeanne Mager (1998). Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety. United Nations International Labour Office. ISBN 92-2-109816-8. Retrieved 9 July 2009. In addition, some maize and rice bran are used to make vegetable oil.
  6. ^ Wittenberg, Margaret M. (1 November 2007). New Good Food: Essential Ingredients for Cooking and Eating Well. Ten Speed Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-58008-750-6. Retrieved 9 July 2009. Whole-grain flours are typically stone-ground or hammer-milled. Refined flours, from grains stripped of their bran and germ, must be milled with rollers.
  7. ^ McGee, Harold (2004). On Food and Cooking: the science and lore of the kitchen. Scriber. ISBN 0684800012.