cereal (redirected from cereal crop)

cereal

 or grain

Any grass yielding starchy seeds suitable for food. The most commonly cultivated cereals are wheat, rice, rye, oats, barley, corn, and sorghum. As human food, cereals are usually marketed in raw grain form or as ingredients of food products. As animal feed, they are consumed mainly by livestock and poultry, which are eventually rendered as meat, dairy, and poultry products for human consumption. They also are used industrially in the production of a wide range of substances, such as glucose, adhesives, oils, and alcohols. Measured in acres planted, wheat is the world's most widely grown cereal crop; rice is the second, but more corn is harvested than either. Grains are generally rich in carbohydrates and energy value but comparatively low in protein and naturally deficient in calcium and vitamin A. Breads are usually enriched to compensate for any nutritional deficiencies in the cereal used. Though often consumed in the areas where grown, cereal and cereal by-products are also major commodities in international trade.

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cereal

Prepared foodstuff of cereal grain. Cereals are used for both human and animal food. The first step in making cereal is milling, grinding the grain so that it can be easily processed. Modern automated systems employ steel cylinders, followed by air purification and numerous sievings to separate the endosperm from the outer coverings and the germ; corn is milled by wet processes. Cereal products include minimally processed whole, crushed, or rolled grains, flour, cornstarch, meal (coarsely ground and unsifted grain), and pasta. Breakfast cereals include raw cereals such as oatmeal and farina (which must be boiled), shredded cereals (usually whole wheat that is boiled, dried, and cut), flaked cereals (usually corn that is broken down into grits and cooked under pressure with flavoring syrup before being pressed and toasted), puffed cereals (grains heated in a pressure chamber and then released to cause expansion), and granular cereals (flour-based cereals made from dough that is cooked and ground into small bits). All cereals are high in starch.

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cereal

1. any grass that produces an edible grain, such as oat, rye, wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, and millet

2. the grain produced by such a plant

3. of or relating to any of these plants or their products

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cereal [′sir·ē·əl]

(botany)

Any member of the grass family (Graminae) which produces edible, starchy grains usable as food by humans and livestock. Also known as grain.