Wheat??????

Question

Hey guys i was just wondering if anyone had a Scientific Explanation on why wheat soaks up more liquid compared to Rice and Corn.

Help appreciated

Cheers

Answer 1

Wheat kernel ( seed ) has a major component starch.

This is also true for all the cereals including the ones that you have mentioned ( Rice and Corn )

What is unique about wheat is it has a unique protein mixed in its starch .

This protein is called GLUTEN.

This presence of GLUTEN makes the wheat popular for Bread .

You can not prepare quality bread with any other cereal.

It is this Gluten that makes the wheat grain and  wheat dough absorb more water .

GLUTEN  is a special type of protein that is commonly found in rye, wheat, and barley.

Not all foods from the grain family, however, contain gluten.

Examples of grains that do not have gluten include wild rice, corn, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, quinoa, teff, oats, soybeans, and sunflower seeds.

Gluten provides many additional important qualities to bread.

For example, gluten keeps the gases that are released during fermentation in the dough, so the bread is able to rise before it is baked.

In addition, gluten firms up when it is cooked and, with the help of starch, helps ensure the bread maintains its proper shape.

Gluten also has an absorbent quality, which is why bread is capable of soaking up broth.

Because of this feature, gluten is often used by those on a vegetarian diet as an imitation meat.

On the downside, gluten is believed to be partly responsible for causing bread to become stale.

More more info . click on the link below ==

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-gluten.h...

http://breaddaily.tripod.com/id465.htm

From = A Botanist

Answer 2

some guys make simple explanations complicated..

its as simple as:

wheat is more porous because it has micro holes inside it that makes it absorb more liquid.. unlike rice and corn that has very little amount of porous hole within its structure..

hope i helped..