LESSON 2 PREPARE CEREALS AND STARCH

Cereals are usually starchy pods or grains. Cereal grains are the most important group of food crops in the world named after the
Roman goddess of harvest, Ceres. Rice, wheat and corn are the three most cultivated cereals in the world. Starch on the other
hand, exists in nature as the main component of cereals and tubers. In manufactured and processed foods, it plays an obvious role
in achieving the desired viscosity in such products as cornstarch pudding, sauces, pie fillings, and gravies.

Starch is the second most abundant organic substance on earth. It is found in all forms of leafy green plants, located in the roots,
fruits or grains. Many of the food staples of man throughout the world are basically starchy foods, such as rice, corn, cassava,
wheat, potato and others. Starch is the source of up to 80% of calories worldwide. Besides this significant role, starches have been
used in food manufacture, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, textiles, paper, construction materials, and other industries.

Learning Outcome 1 Perform Mise’en Place

Tools and Equipment Needed

The success of cooking starch and cereal dishes depends on the proper tools and equipment used in the preparation of food. The
preparation of starch and cereal dishes requires the various tools and equipment below. Each tool must be used according to its
function.

1. Mixing bowl – used when preparing cake mixture, salads, creams, and sauces.
2. Sifter – used for separating coarse particles of flour, sugar, baking powder, and powdered ingredients to retain finer textures.
Wire whip – used for beating egg whites, egg yolk, creams and mayonnaise.
4. Wooden spoon – used for mixing creams, butter, and for tossing salads.
5. Slotted spoon – used to separate solid particles from soup; also for stirring purposes, such as making egg white fine in texture
for bird’s nest soup and mock nido soup.
6. Blending fork – used for testing the tenderness of meat, combining big cuts and particles of meat and vegetables, and for
blending other ingredients with flour.
7. Rubber scraper – used for scraping off mixtures of butter, sugar, and egg from the sides of the mixing bowl.
8. Strainer – used for separating liquids from fine or solid food particles, such as coco cream from coconut and tamarind extract.
9. Tongs – used for handling hot foods.
10. Measuring Cups – used for measuring dry and liquid ingredients
11. Measuring spoon – used for measuring dry and liquid ingredients which require a little amount
12. Sauce pan and pots – used for cooking meat and fish dishes with gravy and sauce.
13. Kettle and rice cooker – used for cooking rice and other foods.
14. Pressure cooker – used for tenderizing or cooking meat, chicken, and other grains or legumes, such as mongo and white
beans in lesser time..
15. Double boiler – used for preparing sauces which easily get scorched when cooked directly on the stove.
16. Steamer – used for cooking food by steaming.
17. Colander - a perforated bowl of varying sizes made of stainless steel, aluminum or plastic, used to drain, wash, or cook
ingredients from liquid
18. Canister - a plastic or metal container with a lid that is used for keeping dry products
19. Butcher knife – used for cutting, sectioning, and trimming raw meats
20. Channel knife – a small hand tool used generally in decorative works such as making garnishes.

Sources of Starch

The parts of plants that store most starch are seeds, roots, and tubers. Thus, the most common sources of food starch are:
 cereal grains, including corn, wheat, rice, grain, sorghum, and oats;
 legumes; and
 roots or tubers, including potato, sweet potato, arrowroot, and the tropical cassava plant (marketed as tapioca)

Common Source of Manufactured Food Starch

1. corn
2. potato
3. Tapioca (cassava)

Starches are named after its plant sources

 corn starch from corn
  rice starch from rice
 tapioca from cassava

Classification of Starch

1. Native or Natural Starch refers to the starches as originally derived from its plant source.
2. Modified Starches are starches that have been altered physically or chemically, to modify one or more of its key chemicals
and/or physical property.
3. Purified starch may be separated from grains and tubers by a process called wet milling. This procedure employs various
techniques of grinding, screening, and centrifuging to separate the starch from fiber, oil, and protein.

Starch Composition and Structure

The Starch Molecule

Starch is polysaccharide made up of hundreds or even thousands of glucose molecules joined together. The molecules of starch
are two general types, called fractions: amylose and amylopectin.

Amylose is a long chain-like molecule, sometimes called the linear fraction, and is produced by linking together 500 to 2, 000
glucose molecules. The amylose fraction of starch contributes gelling characteristics to cooked and cooled starch mixtures. A gel is
rigid to a certain degree and holds a shape when molded.

Amylopectin has a highly branched, bushy type of structure, very different from the long, string-like molecules of amylose. In both,
amylose and amylopectin, however, the basic building unit is glucose. Cohesion or thickening properties are contributed by
amylopectin when a starch mixture is cooked in the presence of water, but this fraction does not produce a gel.

Most natural starches are mixtures of the two fractions. Corn, wheat, rice, potato, and tapioca starches contains 24 to 16 percent
amylose, with the remainder being amylopectin. The root starches of tapioca and potato are lower in amylose content than the
cereal starches of corn, wheat, and rice.

The Starch Granule

In the storage areas of plants, notably the seeds and roots, molecules of starch are deposited in tiny, organized units
called granules. Amylose and amylopectin molecules are placed together in tightly packed stratified layers formed around a central
spot in the granule called the hilum. The starch molecules are systematically structured in the granule to form crystalline-like
patterns. If the starch granules, in a water suspension, are observed microscopically under polarized light, the highly oriented
structure causes the light to be rotated so that a Maltese cross pattern on each granule is observed. This phenomenon is called
birefringence. The pattern disappears when the starch mixture is heated and the structure disrupted. The sizes and shapes of
granules differ among starches from various sources, but all starch granules are microscopic in size.

Composition of Starch

Composition of Cassava Wheat Cornstarch

Starch Potato
Moisture,% 19 13 13
Ash,% 0.4 0.2 0.2
Protein, % 0.06 0.1 0.4
Lipid,% 0.05 0.1 0.8
Phosphorus% 0.08 0.01 0.06
Amylose,% 21 17 28

Starch Properties and Reactions

1. Gelatinization. The sum of changes that occur in the first stages of heating starch granules in a moist environment which
includes swelling of granules as water is absorbed and disruption of the organized granule structure.
2. Viscosity. The resistance to flow; increase in thickness or consistency. When the newly gelatinized starch is stirred, more
swollen granules break and more starch molecules spill causing increase in viscosity or thickness.

Changes in Gelatinization of Starch

 hydration and swelling to several times original size
 loss of birefringence
 increase in clarity
 marked, rapid increase in consistency and attainment of peak
 "dissolution" of linear molecules and diffusion from ruptured granules.
  with heat removal, retro gradation of mixture to a paste-like mass of gel.

The type of sugar influences the temperature and rate of gelatinization. The effect of sugar is attributed to competition for water. It
was observed that sugar actually interacts with the amorphous areas of the starch granules.

Different Sweeteners Added to Starch Gel Preparation.

 honey
 molasses
 panutsa or granulated sugar

3. Retrogadation is the process in which starch molecules, particularly the amylose fraction, re-associate or bond together in an
ordered structure after disruption by gelatinization; ultimately a crystalline order appears.

4. Syneresis. Oozing of liquid from gel when cut and allowed to stand (e.g. jelly or baked custard). The oozing of liquid from a rigid
gel; sometimes called weeping.

This reaction occurs in all kinds of gels:

 puddings
 jellies
 custards
 gelatin
 agar

5. Dextrinization. It is the process of forming dextrin. Dextrins – are partially hydrolyzed starches that are prepared by dry roasting.
In home kitchens, dextrinization is achieved by toasting flour for polvoron, rice flour for kare-kare sauce, and bread slices for
breakfast.

6. Hydrolysis Starches undergo hydrolysis during cooking or processing and during storage of food where a chemical reaction in
which a molecular linkage is broken and a molecule of water is utilized.
a. Prolonged heating of starches with acid will promote hydrolysis. This can happen when cooking an acidic food, such as:
Pineapple pie resulting in reduced viscosity or firmness of the pie filling.

Functional Properties of Starches

Starch plays various roles in food, a typical multi-tasker
1. Thickeners in gravies, sauces and pudding. It absorbs water and become a gel when cooked.
2. Colloidal stabilizers
3. Moisture retainer
4. Gel forming agents
5. Binders
6. Package
7. Flavor carriers– its ability to trap oils and fats, which absorb flavoring substances more efficiently.

Starches – are added to processed meats (luncheon meats, hot dogs, sausages, etc.) as a filler, binder, moisture, retainer, and fat
substitute. The quality characteristics of the starch itself depends upon which role or function it was used.

Cereal. Cereal is any grain that is used for food. Grains especially whole grain are not just empty calories. These are very valuable
and can contribute a great deal to our health. You should include at least four servings from this food group each day.

Cereal-processed food:
 A whole grain cereal is a grain product that has retained the specific nutrients of the whole, unprocessed grain
and contains natural proportions of bran, germ and endosperm.
 Enriched cereals are excellent sources of thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, and iron.
 A restored cereal is one made from either the entire grain or portions of one or more grains to which there have
been added sufficient amounts of thiamine, niacin, and iron to attain the accepted whole grain levels of these
three nutrients found in the original grain from which the cereal is prepared.
Cereals provide the body with:
 Carbohydrates
 Protein
 Fat
 Vitamins
  Minerals
 Water
 Cellulose or roughage

Nutritional Significance of Noodles and Pasta or Alimentary Paste

The physiological function of noodles and pasta will depend on its starch and other constituents. Since it is basically a
starchy food, the nutritional significance discussed for starches also applies. In addition to starches, including resistant starches I
(RS), noodles and pasta may contain other fibers and some proteins and fat as well.

Nutritive value:
 Water
 Protein
 Fat
 Carbon
 Calcium
 Phosphorous
 Iron
 Thiamin
 Riboflavin
 Niacin

Dried Noodles and Pasta

 Macaroni • Miki
 Spaghetti • Chicken Mami
 Pancit Canton • Linguini
 Bihon • Lasagňa
 Sotanghon
 Miswa

Learning Outcome 2 Prepare and Cook Starch and Cereal Dishes

One of the properties of starch is viscosity which is the resistance to flow of starch and modified starch paste. In the preparation
and cooking of starch and cereal dishes, factors affecting starch paste viscosity and starch gel strength should be considered.

Factors Affecting Starch Paste Viscosity and Starch Gel Strength

 Stress or other factor. Stirring Amount and Type. This is a gelatinized cornstarch dispersion that is likely to break; the
granules broke apart due to stirring.
 Kind and Amount of Starch. Certain type of starch will influence the characteristics of the starch paste viscosity and gel
strength. Generally speaking, with "native starches" the greater the amount of amylopectin the more viscous the starch
paste, whereas, the greater the amount of amylase, the firmer the gel is (greater the gel strength).
 Heating rate. The faster starch-water dispersion is heated; the thicker it will be at the identical endpoint temperature.
 Endpoint Temperature
 Each type of starch has a specific endpoint temperature at which it will undergo optimum gelatinization.
 Incompletely gelatinized starch will not attain optimum starch paste viscosity or gel strength.
 Over gelatinization results in decreased starch paste viscosity and gel strength because the swollen granules fragmented with
stirring and/or imploded due to the extensive loss of amylase from the granule.
 Cooling and storage conditions
 If cooled too fast, the amylase will not have time to form the vital micelles necessary for the three dimensional structure.
 If cooled too slowly, the amylase fractions will have a chance to align too much and become too close together and the liquid
portion will not be trapped in the micelles. In both instances there will be weeping and syneresis (the contraction of a gel
accompanied by the separating out of liquid.).