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.