Nutritional FUNCTION and Medicinal Properties of Wheat CONTAIN:

Abstract Wheat is considered good source of protein, minerals, B - group vitamins and dietary fiber i.e. an excellent health - building food. Thus, it has become the principal cereal, being more widely used for the making of bread than any other cereal because of the quality and quantit y of its characteristic protein called gluten. G lut en makes bread dough stick together and gives it the ability to retain gas. W heat has several medicinal virtues; starch and gluten in wheat provide heat and energy; the inner bran coats, phosphates and other miner al salts; the outer bran, the much - needed roughage the indigestible portion that helps easy movement of bowels; the germ, vitamins B and E; and protein of wheat helps build and repair muscular tissue. The wheat germ, which is removed in the process of refining, is al so rich in essential vita min E, the lack of which can lead to heart disease. The loss of vitamins and minerals in the refined wheat flour has l ed to widespread prevalence of constipation and other digestive disturbances and nutritional disorders. The whole wheat, which includes bran and wheat germ, therefore, p rovides protection against diseases such as constipation, ischaemic, heart disease, dis ease of the colon called diverticulum, appendicitis, obesity and diabetes. To enhance the quality as well as the quantity of proteins/starches, and the content of vitamins, es sential amino aci ds, minerals and other healthy components of wheat, it is essen tial to understand the molecular and genetic control of various aspects of plant growth and development. Keywords: Dietary fiber ; Digestive disturbances ; Gluten ; Triticum aestivum L . ; Wheat b ran; Wheat g erm . 1. Introduction Wheat is the most important stable food crop for more than one third of the world population and con tributes more calories and proteins to the world diet than any other cereal crops [ 2, 3, 42 ] . It is nutritious, easy to store and transport and can be processed into various types of food. Wheat is considered a good source of protein, minerals, B - group vitamins and dietary fiber [45, 46] although the environmental conditions can affect nutritional composition of wheat grains with its essential coating of bran, vitamins and minerals; it is an excellent health - building food. Wheat flour is used to prepare bread, produce biscuits, confectionary products, noodles and vital wheat gluten or seitan. Wheat is also used as animal feed, for ethanol production, brew ing of wheat beer, wheat based raw material for cosmetics, wheat protein in meat substitutes and to make wheat straw composites . Wheat germ and wheat bran can be a good source of dietary fiber helping in the prevention and treatm ent of some digestive disor ders [46]. The antioxidant activity and phytochemical content were studied in milled grain of eleven varieties which included a range of red and white wheat and durum wheat. Whole - wheat bread is good for health. There is no doubt that the adaptability and high yields of wheat have contributed to its success, but these alone are not sufficient to account for its current dominance over much of the temperate world. The key characteristic, which has given it an advantage over other temperate crops, is the uniqu e properties of dough formed from wheat flours, which allow it to be processed into a range of breads and other baked products (including cakes and biscuits), pasta and noodles, and other process ed foods. These propertie s depend on the structures and inter actions of the grain storage proteins, which together form the ‘gluten’ protein fraction. Lutein is the predominant carotenoids present in wheat [1] and the bran/germ fractions of wheat contained g reater amounts of carotenoids and antioxidant activity than the endosperm fractions [4]. Lutein, along with zeaxanthin, is important for the health of skin and eyes in humans. The latest edition of the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans clearly states that all adults sho uld eat at least three se rvings of whol e grains every day. It helps in preventing both heart diseases and cancer, therefore, lower death rates. The protection against heart disease may stem from whole grains, antioxidants, vitamins and phytochemicals, fiber o r trace minerals. Apparently, by imp roving insulin sensitivity and decreasing the disordered insulin function people experience with met abolic syndrome, whole grains help prevent diabetes. The same substances in whole grains that protect against heart disease also seem to help prevent severa l kinds of cancer. Fiber and certain starches in whole grains ferment in the colon and form substances that may block the cancer - promoting effects of bile acids . Moreover, scientists believe that other substances in whole grains may affect hormone levels a nd possibly lower the risk of hormone - related cancers like breast cancer. The many MORE HEALTH INFO VICSIT rotimifavour.blogspot.com