by
Cliff Spencer, M4L Chairman
Milling is important to developing countries because grains in their raw whole form cannot be properly digested by humans, grains need grinding, cracking, flaking, popping or puffing before eating
Of course looking at a whole grain in your hand it gives all the appearance of
being dead or inert, whereas the exact opposite is the truth. A study under the
microscope reveals the intricate composition of a grain as a living thing with
intricate in-built survival mechanisms.
A grain has evolved to survive the seasons so it can germinate and grow again to continue its species. Indeed I spent the early part of my farming career trying to variously overcome this built in survival system and capacity of grains so as to encourage them to germinate and grow at their earliest opportunity. I soon learnt there were significant differences between the various grains and with that a whole bag (pardon the pun) of agronomic tricks to coax them out of their slumber whilst in the bin in which they were stored. This was achieved through a series of temperature changes, movement and even seed treatments.
Also when and how the seeds were planted in the soil, the soil type, aspect of the field with regard to sunlight and shade and other factors were all important parameters to consider and manipulate. Even the way in which these seeds were planted made a difference to their emergence and survival and indeed their subsequent vigour and emergence and thus the harvested yield and quality of the crop they ultimately produced.
Grains are the result of a super-efficient process that involves transforming sunlight, nutrients, water and air into macronutrients. Humans as farmers commenced growing grains for food in an organised fashion around 15,000 years ago. So in mankind’s history and evolution then intentionally growing grain is actually a very new way of supplying food for sustenance. It is hard to absorb that fact when grains are now such a huge global industry, being both a staple part of the Western diet and an important industrial feedstock.
Indeed, grains were originally used principally in the winter months, by humans to provide food when fresh food was difficult to find. As a result humans began to settle in areas where grain could be grown. To further complicate the story there is a school of thought that postulates our bodies and alimentary tract may not have evolved in the preceding hundreds of thousands of years to this very new agricultural era in historical terms, in order to digest grains effectively.
Read the full article, HERE.
Milling is important to developing countries because grains in their raw whole form cannot be properly digested by humans, grains need grinding, cracking, flaking, popping or puffing before eating
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| Cliff Spencer |
A grain has evolved to survive the seasons so it can germinate and grow again to continue its species. Indeed I spent the early part of my farming career trying to variously overcome this built in survival system and capacity of grains so as to encourage them to germinate and grow at their earliest opportunity. I soon learnt there were significant differences between the various grains and with that a whole bag (pardon the pun) of agronomic tricks to coax them out of their slumber whilst in the bin in which they were stored. This was achieved through a series of temperature changes, movement and even seed treatments.
Also when and how the seeds were planted in the soil, the soil type, aspect of the field with regard to sunlight and shade and other factors were all important parameters to consider and manipulate. Even the way in which these seeds were planted made a difference to their emergence and survival and indeed their subsequent vigour and emergence and thus the harvested yield and quality of the crop they ultimately produced.
Grains are the result of a super-efficient process that involves transforming sunlight, nutrients, water and air into macronutrients. Humans as farmers commenced growing grains for food in an organised fashion around 15,000 years ago. So in mankind’s history and evolution then intentionally growing grain is actually a very new way of supplying food for sustenance. It is hard to absorb that fact when grains are now such a huge global industry, being both a staple part of the Western diet and an important industrial feedstock.
Indeed, grains were originally used principally in the winter months, by humans to provide food when fresh food was difficult to find. As a result humans began to settle in areas where grain could be grown. To further complicate the story there is a school of thought that postulates our bodies and alimentary tract may not have evolved in the preceding hundreds of thousands of years to this very new agricultural era in historical terms, in order to digest grains effectively.
Read the full article, HERE.
The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com
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