**2. Global production of cereal grains**

Cereals grains generally have been ofadvantage to humanity for decades [12]. Rice, wheat, and maize are the three major cereal crops in China (**Table 1**), and they play a key role in global cereal production (**Table 2**). China, with 565,754 hectares cropped by far the largest cereal areas in the world, followed by the USA which accounted for 328,474 hectares while other countries have cereal areas between 228,844 hectares (Canada) and 130,882 hectares (Kazakhstan) for India [14]. Cereal production in 2017 increased to about 2977.0 million tons, with China having over 617 million tons [15], which contributed to more than 40% of the global cereal production, while a sharp decline was observed in 2018, 2019 and 2020 as shown in **Figure 1**. The sharp decline observed was due to the reduced yield prospects for maize in the United States of America (USA) and in Ukraine, meager rains that


#### **Table 1.**

*Countries with high cereal production.*


#### **Table 2.**

*Global production of cereal grains.*

*Cereal Grain: A Vehicle for Improved Healthy Living DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97078*

**Figure 1.** *Global production changes.*

reduced yield expectations in Argentina, Brazil and Kazakhstan, which in turn affected the increase made to the production in the Russian Federation [16]. While rice production worsened in Bangladesh and Viet Nam due to the weather. Moving forward, the FAO has projectedthat the global average of cereal yields to increase by 1.1% per year (slower than the 1.9% seen in the previous decade), driven by advances in biotechnology, structural changes towards larger farms, and improved cultivation practices.

### **3. Dietary and nutrition composition of cereal grains**

Cereals belong to the grass family, Gramineae. They are edible grains or seeds grown in several countries of the world. Some typical examples include oats, rye, maize, sorghum, barley and millet. Rice and wheat account for over 50% of the world's cereal production.

Cereals are a major and important aspect of the diets of the populace of both the developing and developed countries worldwide. Even with the food diversity prevalent in our present now, cereals remain an important contributor to the dietary pattern. Cereals are known to be a good source of food nutrients such as protein, carbohydrate, as well as having a range of micronutrients such as vitamins E, vitamins B, zinc, magnesium and iron.

Breakfast cereals and white bread are typical examples of fortified cereal products which are vital nutritional food products for children and adults, although there is the need to reduce the sodium levels of this processed foods product. Lignans and other types of bioactive compounds, which can improve health, have been reported in cereals and there are on-going researches on identifying other bioactive substances in underutilized cereals, their importance and bioavailability. Most studies have associated the health benefits accrued to cereal grains to its fiber contents, micronutrients, bioactive and resistant starch content. Several cereal products are usually fortified with a range of B complex vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, iron, vitamin E, zinc and beta-carotene [17]. The regular consumption of cereals, most especially whole grains have been deduced as having a role in halting the development of chronic diseases such as diabetics, colorectal cancer and coronary heart diseases though the precise mechanism is not yet fully understood. Whole pseudo-cereal grains such as quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat are rich in bioactive

compounds like vitamins, trace element, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and fatty acids with knownabilities to prevent the onset of many degenerative diseases [18].
