CEREALS FOODSTUFFS AND TUBERS AND ITS PROCESSING

Food is a material, usually derived from animals or plants, which are eaten by living things
get energy and nutrients. The liquid used for this purpose is often called a drink, but the word
'food' can also be used.

Definition of Cereals
Cereals, also known as cereals or grains, are a group of plants that are planted to harvest
seeds / grains as a source of carbohydrate / starch. In Malaysia it is called bijirin. Most
cereals are members of the grain tribe and are referred to as true cereals.

The members who are best known and have high economic value, so known as the main
cereals are rice, corn, wheat, durum wheat, barley, oat, and rye. Some non-grain-producing
crops are also often called pseudo cereals; includes buckwheat, seed amaranth, and kinoa.
Some cereals are also known as chirping bird feed, such as millet and various types of milet.
Although it produces starch, plants such as sago, cassava or potatoes are not classified as
cereals because they are not harvested by grain / seeds. Cereals are cultivated on a large scale
throughout the world, exceeding all other types of plants and become a source of energy for
humans and livestock. In some developing countries, cereals are often the only source of
carbohydrates.

Tubers are one organ from plants which is a modification of other organs and serves as a
store of certain substances (generally carbohydrates). Modified organs can be leaves, stems,
or roots. This form of modification is usually an enlargement of size with very obvious
anatomic changes. Tubers are usually shaped just below the surface of the ground. The
storage organ does not have to be tubular. Some types of plants store energy reserves in the
same organ, but do not experience many modifications to the shape, so they do not form
tubers. Plants need energy reserves because they cannot move to find new energy sources or
to help reproduce their species.

Tubes are used as a source of staple food because they have high carbohydrate content in
their starch form and high fiber content. But the utilization of tubers is still not optimal
because it is considered as a less classy traditional food. Of course this is not worth doing,
God created humans, plants and animals certainly have their own benefits. We as human
beings who think and are intelligent should appreciate and be grateful for this gift of Allah
Subhanahu wata’alaa.

B. Types of Cereals and their Benefits

1. Rice
Rice is rice grain that has been separated from the husk. Rice contains carbohydrates
that are rich in sugar or glucose. The sweet taste of glucose content is an energy
source that is beneficial for the body to carry out various activities. In addition to
sweetness and rice, rice is suitable to be combined with a variety of side dishes that
make people use rice as food. The color of rice that is different is arranged
genetically, due to differences in genes that regulate aleurone color, endospermia
color, and starch composition in endospermia. The various types of rice are white rice,
brown rice, black sticky rice, and white sticky rice.
 2. Corn

Corn (Zea mays) is one of the strategic and economic value cereals and has the opportunity to
be developed because of its position as the main source of carbohydrates and proteins after
rice. Aside from being a source of carbohydrates, it is also an important source of protein in
the menu of Indonesian society. The main nutrient content of maize is starch (72% -73%),
with a ratio of amylose and amylopectin 25-30%: 70-75%, but in waxy maize 0-7%: 93-
100%. Simple sugar levels of corn (glucose, fructose, and sucrose) range from 1-3%. The
carbohydrate content can reach 80% of all the dry ingredients of the seeds. Carbohydrates in
the form of starch are generally in the form of a mixture of amylose and amylopectin. This
difference does not only affect the nutritional content, but more meaningful in processing as
food. Sweet corn is not able to produce starch so the seeds are sweeter when they are young.

Almost all parts of corn plants can be used for various purposes. Young stems and leaves of
the plant can be used for animal feed, the old (after harvesting) can be used for green manure
or compost. At present there are quite a lot of people who use corn stalks for paper. The price
is quite attractive along with the increase in the price of paper raw materials in the form of
pulp. Young maize fruits are widely used as vegetables, cakes, bakwan, and so on. Other uses
of corn are animal feed, pharmaceutical raw materials, dextrin, adhesives, textiles, cooking
oil, and ethanol.

3. Wheat

Wheat (Triticum spp.) Is a type of plant that is rich in carbohydrates. Wheat is usually used to
produce flour, animal feed, or fermented to produce alcohol. Wheat seeds consist of: 83%
endosperm, 14.5% bran & aleurone layer, 2.5% germ. Wheat flour is flour / fine powder
derived from wheat seeds, and is used as a basic ingredient in making cakes, noodles and
bread. Wheat flour contains a lot of starch, which is complex carbohydrates that are not
soluble in water. Wheat flour also contains protein in the form of gluten, which plays a role in
determining the elasticity of foods made from flour.

4. Sorghum
 Sorghum is a versatile plant that can be used as a source of food, animal feed,
and industrial raw materials. Sorghum plants resemble maize plants, but grow
taller and are suitable for planting in dry and runny places, and are resistant to
pests rather than similar plants. In terms of nutrition, sorghum contains
carbohydrates, protein, calcium, and other useful substances. Sorghum is
useful from the leaves to the roots.
• The leaves become a source of animal feed, the leaf stalks can be used
as handicrafts and brooms. Sorghum flowers can also be used as dried
flowers for decoration.
 • The stem is a bioethanol barn and paper-making material. The young
stem can be made with syrup, because it tastes sweet. How, peel the
bark that is still young and taken inside.
• Its roots can be used as herbs to facilitate blood circulation. The roots
are brewed enough, then the water is drunk.
• The seeds contain high nutrition, protein, calcium, and carbohydrates
are greater than rice and corn. Sorghum is also rich in fiber and low in
gluten. Sorghum seeds can be made flour as a basic ingredient in
making food. Even after peeling the skin, sorghum seeds can be
directly cooked like rice and consumed.

B. Types of Tubers and their Benefits

1. Sweet Potato
There are three types of sweet potatoes that are popularly cultivated in Indonesia,
namely sweet potatoes which are brownish white, red and purple. The three types of
sweet potatoes have superior varieties with high productivity. Some of the popular
sweet potato varieties include Cilembu, Ibaraki, Lampeneng, Georgia, Borobudur,
Prambanan, Mendut, and Kalasan. Sweet potato cultivation is suitable in the hot and
humid tropics. The benefits are very many, namely:
• Contains high vitamin C useful for treating skin elasticity
• Vitamin A and beta carotene from purple, orange, and red yams to protect the
lungs and prevent lung cancer and oral cancer.
• Has a fat-free sweet taste making it suitable for diabetics because it can control
blood sugar levels.
• Contains vitamin B6 which can prevent heart attacks and potassium which
functions to stabilize blood pressure and can reduce stress, etc.

2. Cassava / Cassava (Tree Cassava)

Cassava or often called cassava, of course, is very familiar in our daily lives.
Traditionally wood cassava is in demand as a substitute for our staple food, namely
rice. This is not wrong, because cassava does contain quite high calories and a good
source of energy. In its development, cassava has now been widely used to make
various kinds of food, or taken for various purposes.

Cassava plants ranging from leaves, tubers and bark have a calorie, protein, fat,
charcoal hydrate, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins B and C, starch, enzymes,
gliosides, and potassium oxalate. Therefore, according to experts in medicinal plants,
cassava has pharmacological effects as an antioxidant, anticancer, antitumor, and
increase appetite. Since ancient times cassava plants have been used as alternative
medicinal plants to overcome various complaints of disease. Benefits of cassava
tubers include:
• Smooth digestion, because many contain fiber that is not soluble in water. This
type of fiber serves to facilitate the process of defecation and is able to absorb and
remove toxins in the intestine, so that digestion becomes healthy.
• Medicines of festering and burning wounds.
• Deep bandage medication
 • Low-calorie diet because cassava is a food ingredient with a lower carbohydrate
content than rice and bread, with a high fiber content that keeps the stomach
feeling full for a long time.

3. Taro
Taro is a source of carbohydrates which are included in tubers (such as cassava and
sweet potatoes). Usually our society consumes taro just for snacks. But in some areas
in Indonesia, taro tubers are used as staple food instead of rice. These bulbs that taste
quite delicious are usually cooked by frying, boiling or steaming. The main benefits
of taro tubers are as a source of carbohydrate food. Parts of this plant that can be eaten
are tubers, young shoots and leaf stems. In addition, tubers, midribs, and taro leaves
can be used as food, medicine, and food wrappers, while the leaves, bark and pulp can
be used as animal feed.

4. Potato
Potatoes are one of the most widely grown annual plants in the entire world. It is an
annual crop suitable to be planted in the highlands and in tropical regions. Potatoes
that are used for eating the stem tuber. Europeans and the United States use potatoes
as a staple food, but now many people use potatoes as an alternative food for diet
programs. This is because potatoes are rich in nutrients, a source of carbohydrates
with high content of flour and sugar, vitamins and fiber. Potatoes have a higher
nutrient content than rice, because they have a more complete protein and mineral
content. Potatoes, when consumed with the skin (properly cleaned), fall into the
category of complex carbohydrates. In addition, potatoes are the best source of iron in
the blood. Ensure a system of endurance, because of the high content of vitamins and
calcium. With so much nutrient content, potatoes also have many benefits, including:
• Health of the digestive system because it has high enough fiber.
• Fight diseases, such as heart disease, nerve disorders, tumors, and can help reduce
the risk of prostate cancer and uterine cancer. Fresh potatoes with antioxidant
skin from vitamin C.
• Good for facial skin health by applying grated potatoes on the face and can make
facial skin glow and reduce swelling and dark circles under the eyes.

D. Processing Technique
1. Boiling
Boiling is softening or ripening food ingredients in liquids (water, broth, coconut milk, or
milk until boiling). Maturity of food ingredients should not be too soft so that the vitamin
is still there.

2. Steaming
Steaming is cooking food with boiling water vapor. Food is placed somewhere, then water
vapor is distributed around steamed food. By steaming the original taste and nutrition, food is
maintained. Tools commonly used such as langseng, cormorant, and steamer or klakat.

3. Frying
Frying is a method of cooking food in hot cooking oil. Frying can be done with a
medium of cooking oil (deep frying), so that the food is fried in oil and cooking oil
 slightly (pan frying / shallow frying). However, there are also non-oil frying (roasted)
usually for frying poor crackers / diesel crackers (crackers made from starch) using sand
medium, or frying using hot air medium usually frying coffee beans or peas.

E. Processing Phase
1. Processing of Cereals

a. Rice
There are various ways to process rice for example:

1). Cook the rice in a way covered

Steps:
- Hardly washed
- Pan is explained
- Put the rice in the pan
- cook for about 1/2 hour

In the ratio of water and rice, it must be correct:

-To make soft rice, the ratio between rice and water is 1: 2
-To make medium rice, the ratio between rice and water is 1: 1.5
-To make rice hard, the ratio is between 1: 1

Goodness Of Liwet rice:

-The food is not lost
-Time cooking is not long
- Requires only a little fuel

Badness of Liwet Rice:

- Can be crusty
- Wear a thick pan
-Must be cooked in boiling water
-Must often stirred so as not to thick the crust
-If the rice is half-cooked, the fire should be reduced

2). Cook rice by steaming

Steps:
-Roughly wash then steamed half-cooked
- Half cooked in flush with boiling water smear submerged and absorbed
- Look at the water until the water boils
- put rice in a cage for about 1 hour
-After cooking rice is removed

Goodness / Advantages of steaming:

-Rice can dry and the grain of rice is still visible
-Possible small scorch
-No crust

Steaming badness:
- Long cooking time
-Many ingredients

3). Cook rice in a way on the team

Steps:
- Hardly washed
- put rice in a small saucepan and then given water, put in a large saucepan that has runny
water for about 1 hour until done.

What must be considered when testing:

-Pan must be tightly closed
-Water must be as high as the rice in another pan

b. Corn
The process is not much different from cooking plain white rice. The tools used are the same
but the ingredients are different, namely rice, corn, rice and water. The processing of corn
rice is the same as cooking rice.

F. Processing of Tubers
Food for tubers as a staple food is usually a food for breakfast or snack friends drinking
coffee in the afternoon. Generally, for substitute for staple rice, usually tubers of cassava /
cassava, sweet potato, taro, or potatoes are processed by boiling or steaming. However, if
food processing is an afternoon snack and the tuber is more varied. The following are
described examples of processing tubers from potatoes which are processed into chips.

POTATO CHIPS

Materials needed:
1. Potatoes 1 kg
2. 0.5 kg cooking oil
3. Adequate whiting solution
4. Adequate salt

Ways of making:
1. Potatoes peeled, then thinly sliced thinly, then soaked in a solution of betel lime (10
gr liters of water) for 3-5 hours. After that it is washed and then drained.
2. Heat the water to boiling then add 10 g / liter of salt, the potato slices are soaked in
water for 5-10 minutes, then drain.
3. Sliced potatoes are dried in the sun to dry
4. Sliced potatoes are fried in hot oil