Chapter 13: Pigmented Cereal: Dietary and Health Importance

The demand for ‘functional foods’ and a healthy diet is growing nowadays, owing to evidence of potential health advantages linked with frequent consumption of these items as part of a balanced and diverse diet. Different colored cereals grain/pigmented cereals – mainly red, black, blue, brown, purple, and pink – have gained popularity recently due to their appealing nutritional characteristics. Anthocyanins are a type of pigment responsible for the colors and the health benefits of pigmented cereals. The different nutritional bioactive components such as phenolics, anthocyanins, phytochemicals, dietary fibre, vitamins, and other biofunctional properties have been much discussed in recent literature. This chapter summarizes and discusses the bioactive composition and health benefits of pigmented cereals, including maize, rice, wheat, and barley, with a focus on recent studies.