Chapter 10: Pigmented Cereals: Key Influencing Factors

As plants are primary producers, they play a pivotal role in supporting every living creature on Earth. Cereal grains are significant in the human diet due to their high-yielding capacity per hectare and highly nutritious content. Biotechnological production of pigmented cereals and their consumption are emerging thanks to health-promoting activities including healthy eating habits and lifestyle choices. Although the cereal processing industry is evolving, cereals used in healthy food production are limited by their technological challenges in harnessing the nutritional properties. Therefore, the development of innovative biotechnologies is essential to upgrade these cereal grains, potentially leading to the design of novel and commercially competitive functional foods. This chapter outlines the three major (wheat, maize and rice) and five minor cereal crops and their contribution to world nutrition. Pigments are treated as bioactive constituents, as they provide added characteristics apart from colour, much emphasis is given to the basic chemical and biochemical attributes. Further, the necessary role of biotechnological production of pigmented cereals and the strategies involved were discussed. Thus, in this chapter, an attempt is made to systematically present the advantages and limitations of the biotechnological production of pigmented cereals in relation to their physicochemical properties, reactivity, and bioactivity.