Effect of High-Temperature Short-Time ‘Micronization’ of Grains on Product Quality and Cooking Characteristics

The term ‘micronization’ is often used to refer
to a process of heat treatment of grains at high temperature
for a relatively short time processing using near-infrared
radiation. Recently there is an increasing interest in the
application of micronization as a processing technology for
grains. When cereals/legumes with sufficient moisture are
subjected to micronization, some beneficial changes like
partial gelatinization of starch, inactivation of enzymes that
are responsible for the degradation of quality and denaturing
of antinutritional factors are observed. The partial
gelatinization due to micronization improves starch
digestibility and palatability and reduces the cooking time
without significantly affecting other nutrients present in
grains. Micronization is applied in the commercial production
of quick cooking pulses, flaked cereals and toasted
products. This review mainly deals with recent studies on
micronization of pulses and cereals used as food and feed
and the effect of micronization on product quality and
cooking characteristics.