Lecture #15-Grasses, Legumes and Starchy Staples Ch 12, p403-5, A Closer Look 12.1

1. Grasses
   1. The single most important food group
   2. Plant Characteristics
      1. Inflorescence-cluster of flowers
      2. grain- embryo, endosperm, bran
   3. Wheat-Triticum aestivum
   4. Corn or Maize- Zea mays
   5. Rice- Oryza sativa
   6. Other Grains- Barley, Rye, Oats, Sorghum, Sugar Cane
   7. Brewing
2. Legumes-bean family
   1. Biological Nitrogen fixation- N2 >>>> NO3
   2. Beans-New world- Phaseolus- 11-30% protein
   3. Fava/broad bean-Old world-Vicia
   4. Peas- Pisum-21% protein
   5. Peanut-Ground Nut 25-30% protein, 45-50% oil
   6. Soybean- Glycine max- Orign-China 3000 yrs ago 13-25% oil, 30-50% protein
3. Starchy Staples
   1. Starch- the major storage form for energy
   2. Storage Organs- Rhizome, Tuber, Bulb, Corm, Root
   3. Potato-Solanum tuberosum 25% carbohydrate
   4. Sweet Potato-Ipomea
   5. Cassava- Manihot-30% starch (Maximum posible)