A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit ( caryopsis) – with or without an attached

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are

cereal A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...

s and

legumes A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock fo ...

. After being harvested, dry grains are more durable than other

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply a staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for a given person or group of people, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and ...

s, such as starchy fruits ( plantains,

breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of ''Artocarpus camansi'' originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippi ...

, etc.) and tubers (

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

es, cassava, and more). This durability has made grains well suited to industrial agriculture, since they can be mechanically

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

ed, transported by rail or ship, stored for long periods in

silo A silo (from the Greek σιρός – ''siros'', "pit for holding grain") is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store fermented feed known as silage, not to be confused with a grain bin, which is used t ...

s, and milled for

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

or pressed for oil. Thus, the grain market is a major global commodity market that includes crops such as maize, rice,

soybeans The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and ...

, wheat and other grains.

Grains and cereal

Grains and cereal are synonymous with

caryopses In botany, a caryopsis (plural caryopses) is a type of simple fruit—one that is monocarpellate (formed from a single carpel) and indehiscent (not opening at maturity) and resembles an achene, except that in a caryopsis the pericarp is fused ...

, the fruits of the

grass family Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...

. In agronomy and commerce, seeds or fruits from other plant families are called grains if they resemble caryopses. For example,

amaranth ''Amaranthus'' is a cosmopolitan genus of annual or short-lived perennial plants collectively known as amaranths. Some amaranth species are cultivated as leaf vegetables, pseudocereals, and ornamental plants. Catkin-like cymes of densely pack ...

is sold as "

grain amaranth Species belonging to the genus ''Amaranthus'' have been cultivated for their grains for 8,000 years. Amaranth plants are classified as pseudocereals that are grown for their edible starchy seeds, but they are not in the same botanical family as ...

", and amaranth products may be described as "whole grains". The pre-Hispanic civilizations of the Andes had grain-based food systems, but at higher elevations none of the grains was a

. All three grains native to the Andes (

kaniwa ''Chenopodium pallidicaule'', known as ''cañihua'', ''canihua'' or ''cañahua'' (from Quechua ''qañiwa, qañawa or qañawi'') and also kaniwa, is a species of goosefoot, similar in character and uses to the closely related ''quinoa'' ''(Chenopo ...

kiwicha ''Amaranthus caudatus'' (also known as ''Amaranthus edulis'' and ''Amaranthus mantegazzianus'') is a species of annual flowering plant. It goes by common names such as love-lies-bleeding, pendant amaranth, tassel flower, velvet flower, foxtail a ...

, and quinoa) are broad-leafed plants rather than grasses such as corn, rice, and wheat.

Classification

Cereal grains

A cereal is any grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the

endosperm The endosperm is a tissue produced inside the seeds of most of the flowering plants following double fertilization. It is triploid (meaning three chromosome sets per nucleus) in most species, which may be auxin-driven. It surrounds the embryo and ...

, cereal germ, germ, and bran. The term may also refer to the resulting grain itself (specifically "cereal grain"). Cereal grain crops are grown in greater quantities and provide more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop and are therefore staple food, staple crops. Edible grains from other plant families, such as buckwheat, quinoa and Salvia hispanica, chia, are referred to as pseudocereals. In their natural, unprocessed, ''whole grain'' form, cereals are a rich source of vitamins, Dietary mineral, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, oils, and protein (nutrient), protein. When processed by the removal of the bran and germ the remaining endosperm is mostly carbohydrate. In some Developing country, developing countries, grain in the form of rice, wheat, millet, or maize constitutes a majority of daily sustenance. In Developed country, developed countries, cereal consumption is moderate and varied but still substantial, primarily in the form of refined and processed grains.

Warm-season cereals

*finger millet *fonio *foxtail millet *Echinochloa esculenta, Japanese millet *Job's tears *kodo millet * maize (corn) *millet *pearl millet *proso millet *sorghum

Cool-season cereals

*barley *oats * rice *rye *spelt *teff *triticale * wheat *wild rice

Pseudocereal grains

Starchy grains from broadleaf (dicot) plant families: *

(Amaranthaceae, Amaranth family) also called

*buckwheat (Polygonaceae, Smartweed family) *Salvia hispanica, chia (Lamiaceae, Mint family) * quinoa (Amaranthaceae, Amaranth family, formerly classified as Chenopodiaceae, Goosefoot family) *kañiwa

Pulses

Pulse (legume), Pulses or grain legumes, members of the Fabaceae, pea family, have a higher protein content than most other plant foods, at around 20%, while soybeans have as much as 35%. As is the case with all other whole plant foods, pulses also contain carbohydrates and fat. Common pulses include: *chickpeas *common beans *common peas (garden peas) *fava beans *lentils *lima beans *lupins *mung beans *peanuts *pigeon peas *runner beans *

Oilseeds

Oilseed grains are grown primarily for the extraction of their vegetable oil, edible oil. Vegetable oils provide dietary energy and some essential fatty acids. They are also used as fuel and lubricants.

Mustard family

*Brassica nigra, black mustard *Brassica juncea, India mustard *Brassica napus, rapeseed (including canola)

Aster family

*safflower *sunflower seed

Other families

*flax seed (Linaceae, Flax family) *Hemp, hemp seed (Cannabaceae, Hemp family) *poppy seed (Papaveraceae, Poppy family)

Historical importance

Because grains are small, hard and dry, they can be stored, measured, and transported more readily than can other kinds of food crops such as fresh fruits, roots and tubers. The development of grain agriculture allowed excess food to be produced and stored easily which could have led to the creation of the first temporary settlements and the division of society into classes.

Trade

Occupational safety and health

Those who handle grain at grain facilities may encounter numerous Grain facility occupational exposure, occupational hazards and exposures. Risks include grain entrapment, where workers are submerged in the grain and unable to remove themselves; Dust explosion, explosions caused by fine particles of grain dust, and Falling (accident), falls.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grain Edible nuts and seeds Crops Staple foods Grains, Food ingredients Types of food