From Paddy to Milled

Paddy in its raw form cannot be consumed by human beings. Rice milling is the process which helps in removal of hulls and barns from paddy grains to produce polished rice. Rice forms the basic primary processed product obtained from paddy and this is further processed for obtaining various secondary and tertiary products.

Source: http://www.shrilalmahal.org/process.html

Husking : Dehusker machine is used for dehusking of paddy and removing of husk. 

Whitening : Removing all or part of the bran layer and germ from brown rice . The whitener is used for whitening (i.e. removal of bran) of brown rice to white rice. 

Polishing : Improving the appearance of milled rice by removing the remaining bran particles and by polishing the exterior of the milled kernel. 

Rice milling process had removing the bran and germ, which are the parts that include fibre and are the most nutrient dense.

Bran and germ contain concentrated amounts of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The endosperm, the part of the grain that is left after the milling process, is primarily composed of starchy carbohydrates and is low in nutrients. 

Refined Grains

All grains start out as whole-grains. After milling, the grains must keep all three original parts (bran, endosperm and germ) in their original proportions to qualify as whole-grains. 

Refined grains are those that had the bran and germ removed, which are the parts that include fibre and are the most nutrient dense. Most refined grains are enriched during processing, meaning that certain B vitamins and iron are added back into them, however, the fibre cannot be replaced. 

Although refined and whole grains are part of the same food group, their nutritional values are difference. 

Whole grains possess all three parts of the grain (bran, endosperm and germ). They have higher amounts of nutrients and natural fibre, proving that they are the healthier choice to make.

Why does the industry refine grains? 

It improves shelf life, gives them a finer texture and essentially makes them easier to eat. They have the tendency to sell better because the taste and texture of whole grains is not as palatable.

Eating too many of these processed foods can cause several problems in digestion and weight gain. Refined grains convert to sugar during digestion and thus contribute to weight gain. Certain chemicals are used in the making of these unhealthy foods—which can cause disease over time. Vitamins added back to them after processing are sometimes synthetic. This means that they are not the naturally occurring vitamins that the grain possessed before being processed.

Definition of Whole Grains

Whole grains are cereal grains that contain cereal germ, endosperm and bran, whole grains are difference with refined grains, which retain only the endosperm.

To qualify as a whole grains, 100% of the original kernel - all of the bran, germ and endosperm must be present. Whole grains contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed.

* The Bran & Germ are removed when whole grains are refined

List of whole grains:-

• Amaranth
• Barley
• Buckwheat
• Corn (including whole cornmeal and popcorn)
• Millet
• Oats (including oatmeal)
• Quinoa
• Rice (both brown rice and colored rice)
• Rye
• Sorghum (also called milo)
• Teff
• Triticale
• Wheat (including varieties such as spelt, emmer, farro, einkorn, Kamut®, durum and forms such as bulgur, cracked wheat and wheatberries)
• Wild rice

Sources: http://wholegrainscouncil.org