ABSTRACT
Cereals belong to the Gramineae family. Because they supply energy, critical nutrients, including phytonutrients or phytochemicals, and dietary fibers in the form of staple diets, they are the fastest expanding food and feed category. However, most cereals are deficient in essential amino acids, contain anti-nutritional factors, impaired protein and carbohydrate digestibility, are germ sensitive to oxidation, etc. Thus, it requires numerous processing procedures like harvesting, storage, de-husking, dehulling, finishing, polishing, enzymatic processing or fermentation, puffing, baking, flaking, frying, extrusion, etc., to add value, vanity, and nutrition to the food chain. A food product's components' nutritional and functional quality greatly influence consumer satisfaction. Despite the fact that whole cereal grains are recognized for their bioactive components, there is a need for new methods in the food industry to improve the nutritional status, sensory profile, and overall quality of final products. Thus, aside from routine cereal processing, the use of enzymes, both exogenous and endogenous, in grain processing is increasing on a daily basis as a reaction catalyst to initiate and accelerate biochemical reactions, as a process regulator, modifier, activator, or enhancer for nutritional profile, functional, biological, microstructural, and organoleptic properties. This chapter will discuss the different types of enzymes and their application in different cereals and cereal products.
