ABSTRACT
Cereals are common staple foods for humans due to their high nutritional value and wide prevalence. They include beneficial bioactive components, dietary fibres, oligosaccharides, β-glucans, etc., leading to numerous health benefits. Application of high hydrostatic pressure processing (HHP) has expanded in recent years and one such emphasis is on cereal processing to modify their properties. This chapter focuses on the effect of HHP alone or in combination with thermal treatment on chemical and nutritional characteristics of various cereal grains. HHP is used to impart unique characteristics to cereals in terms of nutritional, functional, and biological properties and thereby expanding its applications. The chapter also emphasizes the hydration, textural, thermal, and structural properties of cereals and their components being well affected as a result of HHP treatments. These advancements pave the way for a more effective usage of cereals as a functional component in the development of novel food products tailored to specific needs. Additionally, HHP can alter biological properties such as improved nutrient digestibility, which increases nutrient bioavailability and bioaccessibility and antioxidant capacity, and reduces anti-nutritional factors. Overall, HHP acts as a technique to modify the properties and contributes to improved safety and quality of cereals.
