Wheat and other cereal grains

The word cereal derives from the name of the Roman goddess, Ceres, ia whose honor a spring festival. The CereaUs, was celebrated. This indicates the antiquity of these foods and the reverence with which they were esteemed. The latter probably reflected the important role cereals played in the diets of ancient peoples. Cereals are stiU an important dietary ingredient. As the world population continues to grow, cereals will become an increasing fraction of the diets for more and more people. That is recognized by the use of an ear of wheat as the symbol of the FAO. Below the wheat is the Latin inscription, Fiatpanis (Let there be bread) (1). 

Deficiency Diseases. Not only did cereals make an important contribution to improving the general status of humankind, but they also were important dietary components of some groups of people who showed certain nutritional deficiencies. This observation led to the discovery of some of the vitamins. These deficiency diseases have been most prominently associated with use of rice, com, and wheat. 

Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (4th Edition) 

Pellagra, Niacin Deficiency. It was 220 years after the first description of pellagra that nicotinic acid was discovered to be the cure for black tongue ia dogs (14), a condition suggested by a veterinarian in North Carolina to be similar to human pellagra (15). 

Calcium Absorption. Phytates ia cereal grains have also been reported to interfere with the absorption of caldum. However, a long-term study iadicated a retention of calcium ia subjects that consume large amounts of bread made with high extraction of flour (19). 

Beriberi, Thiamine Deficiency. The recognition of vitamins and their importance to the health of human beings came about when Eijkman, a Dutch pathologist, was sent to Java in an attempt to cure an epidemic of beriberi that had appeared in one of the hospitals. Eijkman kept a flock of chickens on the hospital grounds to assist in discovering the disease agent he assumed was involved in the etiology of beriberi These chickens were fed the scraps from the plates of the hospital patients—primarily polished rice, the common food in that part of the world (11). 

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Com, wheat, and rice are the most desirable common grains and are used extensively ia pet foods. Oats and barley often tend to have excess fiber, which can be objectionable. However, barley is a preferred grain for moisture absorption and form ia caimed foods because the turgid white form is desired ia some canned dog foods. Milo has enormous variations ia tannin content which can influence digestibiUty and acceptabiUty, thus limiting its use ia pet foods (see Wheat and other cereal grains). 

Sugared cereals are often packaged in aluminum foil or barrier plastic, eg, ethylene vinyl alcohol, laminations to retard water vapor and flavor transmission (see Wheat and other cereal grains). 

Plant and Animal Nutrient. Copper is one of seven micronutrients that has been identified as essential to the proper growth of plants (87). Cereal crops are by far the most affected by copper deficiency (see Wheat and other cereal grains). Greenhouse studies have shown yield increases from 38% to over 500% for wheat, barley, and oats (88) using copper supplementation. A tenfold increase in the yield of oats was reported in France (89). Symptoms of copper deficiency vary depending on species, but often it is accompanied by withering or chlorosis in the leaves that is not ammenable to iron supplementation. In high concentrations, particularly in low pH sods, copper can be toxic to plants. 

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