The impact of processing on wheat grain components associated with health benefits Paola Tosi 1*, Alyssa Hidalgo2, Valerie Lullien-Pellerin 3* 1 School of Agriculture Policy and Development, University of Reading, UK 2 Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy 3 IATE, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France *
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[email protected] Abstract Wheat based foods, mainly in the form of bread and pasta, are staples in many countries around the world and as such contribute substantially to nutrient intake of human beings. The mature wheat grain is composed for over 70-75% of its dry weight of starch and for around 10-14 % of protein, which has led to the widely spread perception of wheat foods as providers mainly of energy and protein to the human diet. Nonetheless, whole grains are also an important source of dietary fibers, vitamins and minerals and contain notable levels of bioactive compounds of health benefit as for examples lignans, phenolic acids, alkylresorcinols, phytosterols, folates and tocols. Processing is a pre-requisite for using cereal grains as food and obtaining a safe to consume and appealing final product for the consumer. It can help reducing potential hazardous molecules as pesticides, mycotoxins and heavy metals and allows to obtain products with varied and unique properties. Indeed, most of the importance of wheat grain in the human diet is due to its versatility to be processed into various end products like flour, semolina, and other bakery products.