Plants in Human CultureLearning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

I Can...Describe the various plant food groups including characteristics and contribution to societyI Will...• List and define the various plant food

groups• Identify distinguishing characteristics of

each group• Identify primary use/contribution to

society

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

Cereals – Grasses that contain grains• Grain – edible dry fruit of a cereal• Fruit – Swollen plant ovary containing seed(s)

• Worldwide • ≈ 50% calories in human diets• Animal feed

• Wheat - highest produced• Followed by corn & rice• Oats, sorghum, and rye

WHEAT – seed of wheat grass plant • Bran - outer covering, thin layers• Germ – part that will grow into new plant• Endosperm – material to nourish young plant • Hard Wheat - contains lots of gluten (protein in

endosperm) – used for bread• Soft Wheat – less gluten – used for pastry, pie

crusts

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

WHEAT – • Durum Wheat (semolina is durum wheat flour) –

used for pasta• Whole wheat flour – made from entire kernel• White flour – made without outer bran covering

(bran contains vitamin-B and iron)• Wheat germ – inner part of kernel • Enriched flour has vitamins added

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

CORN –(maize) five main types• Flint and Dent – used primarily to feed live stock• Popcorn – type of flint corn• Flour Corn – kernels with soft, floury starch – used for

baked goods• Sweet Corn – kind we eat

75% of corn crop is used to feed other animals that give us milk, eggs, and meat

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

RICE - 50% of the human race eats rice three times per day.• Grows best when submerged in water mostly in Southeast

Asia• Arkansas and California produce rice• Brown rice – outer husk of rice kernel removed (milled),

leaves brown rice which contains oils, vitamins, and proteins – doesn’t keep well

• White rice – what’s left after brown layers are removed

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

RICE - Enriched Rice – has vitamins addedConverted Rice – treated with steam pressure, helps make it fluffier when cookedInstant Rice – milled, completely cooked then driedWild Rice – not related to other rice except that it belongs in grass family.40,000 varieties of long, medium and short grain rice

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

ALFALFA used as forage – crops that animals graze on.Most American farm land is pastureHay – dried forage used for winter feed 

BARLEY – very hard cereal grain – used in beer production and animal feed SORGHUM – grown as substitute for corn in dry areas. Used as animal feed  

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

OATS - Mostly grown for animal feed MILLET – staple food for one third of world’s population, seeds are the smallest of cereal grains COTTON – fibers used for clothing 

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

Root crops – roots or underground stems used as food storage (carbs) by plants• Potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes

Legumes – protein-rich seeds in podsImprove nitrogen content of soil• Soybean, peanutsAlfalfa, clover (livestock feed)

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

Fruits – Swollen ovary of flower containing seed(s)• Apples, tomatoes, cucumbers Vegetables – Edible portions of the plant other than the fruit• Leaves, stems, roots, seeds• Celery, Rhubarb, Asparagus

Nuts – Dry one-seed fruit encased in a hard shell• Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Pistachios

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

Spices & Herbs – Food crops that add variety and pleasure to our diet by enhancing flavor• Spices generally come from plant parts other

than leaves• Nutmeg, ginger, paprika, cloves, pepper,

cinnamon• Herbs generally leaves• Rosemary, dill, basil, mint, oregano

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

Oils – Usually squeezed from plants. Can be extracted from leaves or seeds.• Corn oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed, olive,

soybean, palm, coconut

Flavorings – Usually in separate category although classified • Licorice, vanilla,

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

SOYBEANS – important because of protein contentSoybean oil is used for cooking and to make margarineTofu – made from white liquid pressed from steamed soybean. Soybeans and alfalfa add nitrogen to soils 

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

Many cultivated plants fall into more than one category

 SUNFLOWER – two types grown for crops – oilseed and non-oilseed Sunflower oil is a polyunsaturated fat – it helps lower cholesterol by helping body get rid of newly formed cholesterol Non-oilseed seeds used as snack and animal food

Learning Target: Primary Plant Food Groups

1. We learned before that 90% of the world's food supply comes from <20 plant species; what food group do you think contributes the most to the worlds food supply?

2. Distinguish between a fruit and a vegetable. Provide an example of each.

Learning Check: Primary Plant Food Groups