I am looking for the wheat kernel story?

Question

where the kernel explains it has been spoiled with chemicals and that it is amazing it has so many nutients(ironical).

Saw it last on a site about 4 or 5 years ago.....

Answer 1

You may be looking for the following article titled, Wheat -- The Inside Story.  Here is the article:

Wheat -- The Inside Story

Captain's Log:

The life of a starch is pretty dull. I've been a part of this starch molecule inside of a wheat kernel since the plant first began to grow. Just when I thought I would die of boredom inside of this kernel, our plant dried fully and the process of harvesting began. A huge machine called a combine came and started working down the rows of our field. It separated the kernels from the stems and then shot me and the other kernels into a huge truck. The truck took us to a mill where we were processed. First, we were toasted until lightly brown in a huge oven. Next, a long conveyer belt moved us to a grinding machine. The blades were kind of sharp, but I was glad when it was all over because I was finally released from that kernel! We were then bagged and put on another truck headed for the cereal plant in Springfield, Illinois. At the plant, we were mixed up, rolled out, cut into flakes, and toasted. Finally, we were bagged, boxed, and shipped to the stores. Now I'm sitting on a shelf in Raleigh, North Carolina. Well, I guess that was kind of a whirlwind story. Maybe I should start again at the beginning . . .

Within the Wheat Kernel:

Wheat kernels are the seeds of the wheat plant. They are also the part of the plant which is harvested and processed to make flour. There are three parts which make up the wheat kernel: the endosperm, the bran, and the germ. The endosperm is the largest part of the kernel and takes up eighty-three percent of the kernel's mass. This is the area where the starch is stored and where the largest amount of the flour comes from. (I stayed in the endosperm during my trip.) Before the seed in the ground has grown roots to take nourishment from the soil, the germ can live on the starch in the endosperm. Besides starch, the endosperm also contains carbohydrates, protein, iron, and B-complex vitamins. The wheat bran is the outer coat of the kernel and, therefore, is a very good source of fiber. It comprises about 14.5 percent of the kernel's mass. Wheat bran is included in whole wheat flour, like that used in cereals such as WheatUp. Bran also contains protein, B-complex vitamins, and indigestible cellulose material. The wheat germ is the sprouting section or embryo of the wheat. It makes up about 2.5 percent of the total kernel mass. The germ contains a great deal of B-complex vitamins and trace minerals. Wheat germ is also included in whole wheat flour.

Harvest Time:

Believe it or not, there are many different types of wheat. The specific type of wheat that eventually becomes breakfast cereal is hard red winter wheat. Ninety-eight percent of the wheat grown in Kansas is of this type. It is called "winter" wheat because it is planted between September 1-15 (in Kansas) and grows throughout the winter months. This type of wheat is ready for harvest between June 16-30. At this time, the wheat has dried out to the point that it is a light golden brown. The farmer and his crew then begin the process of harvesting the crop. They use a combine harvester to make this job easier.

A Combine Harvester

A combine is a machine which cuts and separates the kernels from the rest of the wheat plant. At the front of the combine, a revolving wheel moves the grain towards a cutter bar which cuts the wheat stalks from the ground. The wheat then moves through a feeder and conveyer to a threshing drum which cuts the kernel off of the stalk. The stalks then move on a conveyer and are dropped from the back. They will be used as straw for bedding and feeding animals. The kernel, on the other hand, then moves through a beater which separates the wheat from the chaff or husks of the plant. The chaff is dropped out the back with the straw. The actual kernels are then funneled through a spiral grain elevator which delivers the grain from the side of the machine into a waiting truck. The wheat is then transported to a wheat mill to be ground into flour.

At the Mill:

When the wheat kernels arrive at the mill, they are first put into a huge oven where they are toasted lightly. Next they are poured into a grinding machine. This machine has rotary blades which grind the kernels into flour. Farina, a coarsely ground flour, is the type used in most U.S. breakfast cereals. When the flour is ground to the right consistency, it is bagged and placed on a truck headed for a processing plant.

The Making of Wheat Breakfast Cereal:

Upon arriving at the cereal plant, the farina is poured into a huge vat where it is mixed together with the other ingredients that go into a wheat cereal. Another machine then rolls this mixture out into huge sheets. The next machine cuts the sheets into small flakes. Then, the flakes are toasted until crispy in a large oven. After they cool, the flakes are bagged, boxed, and, finally, shipped to grocery stores across the country.