4 Unit Operations of Agricultural Processing

There is an indentation, called creEe, along the ventral side of the wheat grain.
The crease is an infolding of the aleurone and all covering layers. The presence of
c~ poses problem in separating endosperm from the,.enclosing layers during
milli~ process. · .
Paddy grains are 5-10 mm long and 4.2 to 4.6 mm in equivalent diameter. The
grains are covered with husk, flattenedlaterally with small point at the end. There
is no crease in paddy grains. A paddy ..,.._ _ _ _ _ _ !
grain consists hull which-15-_Jlbout 20% of
weight of grain and .brown rice kernel The
outer most six layeJS of cells of kernel form
-------2
pericarp which is about 5 to 7% of the
brown rice weight. These layeJS called
bran are removed during milling to pro-
duce white rice. The layer next and below
the pericarp ~onstitutcs seed coat. Below
the seed coai are the layeJS of cells (upto
six layeis) called aleurone layer. This layer
contains mainly protein: The seed coat
together with aleurone layer form 4-6% of
rice kernel. The entire mass of grairi. below
the aleurone layer forms the endospenn. Fig. 1.2 : Structure of paddy grain
This is starchy portion of a rice grain. It 1. awn~. rice kernel 3. palea 4. lemma
consists of oblong rectangular cells and 5. empty glume
constitutes about 89 to 943 of the grain
mass. At one end of the vertical side of the grain is embryo ~r genn, responsible
for germination. It constitutes about 2 to 3% (by weight) of the rice grain.

---L-----2
3

6
7
Fig. 1.3: Structure of maize grain
1. husk 2. epidermis 3. mcsocarp 4. seed.coat 5. aleurone layer 6. plumule 7. radicle
 Introduction 5

Maize grain is larger in size (8 to 17 mm long and 7.8 to 9.8 mm equivalent

diameter) than other cereals. Its basal part is narrow and the apex is broad. A
mature maize kernel is composed of four major parts. Pericarp (hull or bran), genn,
endosperm and tip cap. The outennost layer of dead thick walled and elongated
cells forms pericarp. Below this layer is a spongy layer of cells known as cross and
tube ceUS. Next to this is sCcd coat or testa. Beneath the testa, there is a single thick
layer known as aleurone layer. The layer constitutes about 33 of the kernel weight.
The part of the hull overlying the germ is known as tip cap which constitutes about
0.833 of the kernel weight. This is the smallest fragment which connects the kernel
to the cob. The tip cap is generally removed with the hull in milling operation. The
germ of maize grain constitutes about 123 of the total kernel weight It stores
nutrients which are mobilfscd during germination. The mature endosperm of
maize .~n is composed of floury and horny regions. It constitutes about 823 of
the kernel weight.
Sorghum grain is small and round in shape. It consists of an embryo (germ), a
relatively large s.cutellum, an endosperm enclosed in a seed coat or testa, and a
fruit coat or pericarp. Testa and pericarp are fused together.

Endosperm layer
(Corneous)
Pericarp

Germ

Endosperm
(Floury)

Fig. 1.4 : Structure of sorghum grain

There is much similarity in the structure of seeds of various pulses or food
legumes. Pulses arc dicot plants, however these differ from each other in. colour,
shape and size. The butermost layer of the seea is the testa or seed coat. The
endosperm of a mature seed is in the fonn of a thin layer surro1,nlding the cotyle-
dons or embryo. There is a few external structure
like hilum, miaophyle and raphe. The hilum is
an oval shaped scar in the middle where the seed
is attached from the stalk. The miaophyle is a
1
small opening in the seed coat beside the hilum.
1
The· raphe is in a ridge from beside hilum and
opposite to the miaophyle.
Inside the seed coat th.e seed is composed of
embyonic structure. The shoot of the seed con- ..
sists of two cotyledons. The embyo consists of a Fig. 1.S : Structure of a pulse grain•
radicle, a plumule or epicotyl, cotyledons. and 1. seed coat 2. micropyle 3. hilum