ABSTRACT
Cereal grains, particularly those from wheat, maize, rice and barley, provide staple foods and important industrial raw materials for human beings. Starch is the major component of cereal grains, accounting for 60% to 75% of the grain weight. It provides 70% to 80% of the calories consumed by humans worldwide. Cereal grains also contain an important amount of proteins, and a very small amount of lipids. Thus, the two major components, starch and protein, mostly determine the quality of cereal grains.
