Effective Utilization of Agricultural Cereal Grains in Value-Added Products: A Global Perspective

For many years, cereal grains from agricultural sources have been the main food sources for human diets and animal feeds. All throughout the food-production chain, more byproducts are now produced in greater amounts. These byproducts are made up mostly of the germ and outer layers of wheat, rice, oat, barley, and corn that are removed through the operations of wet and dry milling, which also include other products obtained through the bread and starch-making processes. Cereal manufacturing byproducts are abundant and cheap sources of phytochemicals, such as carbohydrates, dietary fibers, lipids, proteins, and trace elements and antioxidants, polyphenols, and vitamins, which are essential chemicals for living beings. These phytochemicals also have potential nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications. Most frequently, the byproducts derived from numerous cereal processes are utilized as cattle feed or as organic fertilizers; otherwise, they are discarded into the environment as waste materials. The world’s population is increasing day by day, as is awareness of environmental sustainability. Industry’s top priority is to meet the growing needs of the global market, which include devising innovative and sustainableSustainable methods for managing the byproducts derived from cereals while maintaining healthy modern lifestyles and promoting community welfare. This chapter addresses in detail the numerous cerealsCereals and their sources, value-added productsValue added products from cerealsCereals, and the advantages and disadvantages of their applications and future prospects.