Course Summary

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the science behind grains and their critical role in food production. This course provides a firm foundation in cereal science—essential for those new to the field and an excellent refresher for experienced professionals seeking to deepen their technical expertise.

Bridging the gap between theory and practice, this course will equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions and apply cereal science principles across a range of food and grain industry applications.

Course Topic Areas

• Grain Structure & Composition: Explore the anatomy of major cereal grains like wheat, rice, maize, and oats, and discover how starches, proteins, and minor constituents influence processing and end-use quality.
  
• Processing Techniques: Learn industry-standard methods including dry and wet milling, pasta and noodle production, and breakfast cereal manufacturing
• Quality & Preservation: Master best practices for storage, moisture management, and maintaining grain quality throughout the supply chain.
• Product Development: Understand how cereal functionality impacts yeast- and chemically-leavened products, snack foods, and more.

The course structure reflects the lesson topics presented in Principles of Cereal Science and Technology, Third Edition. While this text is not required reading for this course, we recommend using the material to supplement the course lessons.​

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course participants should be able to:

• Identify major components grains
• Understand impacts on end-use quality
• Understand how grains are processed

Required Participation

To earn a completion certificate, participants will need to:

1. View the recorded lessons
2. Successfully complete the quiz associated with each module​
   
   

Tuition

Other Details

• Course Outline & Details

  *Denotes a requirement for course completition

  
  

  1. Course Welcome

     1. Course Navigation & Completion Requirements
     2. Getting Help
     3. Course Syllabus
     4. Course Community Discussion Board

  2. Module 1: Structure of Cereals

     1. Instructor: Andrew Ross
     2. Recorded Lesson*
     3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 1
     4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
     5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
     6. Learning Targets:
        1. TBD
        2. TBD
        3. TBD
     7. Content:
        1. Wheat
        2. Maize
        3. Rice
        4. Barley
        5. Rye
        6. Triticale
        7. Oats
        8. Sorghum
        9. Pearl Millet

  3. Module 2: Starch

     1. Instructor: George Annor
     2. Recorded Lesson*
     3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 2
     4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
     5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
     6. Learning Targets:
        1. TBD
        2. TBD
        3. TBD
     7. Content:
        1. Starches from Cereals
        2. Composition of Granular Starch
        3. Organization of the Starch Granule
        4. Starch in Excess Water Systems
        5. Starch in Limited Water Systems
        6. Starch-Degrading Enzymes
        7. Modified Starches
        8. Resistant Starches
        9. Conversion of Starch to Sweeteners

  4. Module 3: Proteins of Cereals

     1. Instructor: Maneka Malalgoda
     2. Recorded Lesson*
     3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 3
     4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
     5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
     6. Learning Targets:
        1. TBD
        2. TBD
        3. TBD
     7. Content:
        1. Protein Structure
        2. Classification of Cereal Proteins
        3. Properties of the Osborne Protein Groups
        4. Wheat Proteins
        5. Proteins in Other Cereals
        6. Enzymes Hydrolyzing Protein
        7. Protease Inhibitors

  5. Module 4: Minor Constituents

     1. Instructor: Devin Rose
     2. Recorded Lesson*
     3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 4
     4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
     5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
     6. Learning Targets:
        1. TBD
        2. TBD
        3. TBD
     7. Content:
        1. Nonstarch Polysaccharides
        2. Cereal Nonstarch-Polysaccharide-Hydrolyzing Enzymes and Their Inhibitors
        3. Mono-, Di-, and Oligosaccharides
        4. Phytic Acid and Phytase
        5. Lipids
        6. Enzymes Affecting Lipids
        7. Vitamins and Minerals
        8. Glass Transitions
        9. Glass Transitions in Cereals
        10. Importance of Glass Transitions in Cereal Products
        11. Glass Transitions of Sugar Solutions

  6. Module 5: Storage of Cereals

     1. Instructor: Kaliramesh Siliveru
     2. Recorded Lesson*
     3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 7
     4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
     5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
     6. Learning Targets:
        1. TBD
        2. TBD
        3. TBD
     7. Content:
        1. Basic Types of Storage
        2. Moisture Management for Safe Storage
        3. Drying of Cereals
        4. Aeration
        5. Grain Respiration
        6. Functional Changes and Indices of Deterioration
        7. Microflora and Mycotoxins
        8. Insects
        9. Rodents

  7. Module 6: Dry Milling

     1. Instructor: Kaliramesh Siliveru
     2. Recorded Lesson*
     3. Recommended Text Reading: Chpater 8
     4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
     5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
     6. Learning Targets:
        1. TBD
        2. TBD
        3. TBD
     7. Content:
        1. Unit Operations Before Milling
        2. Common Wheat Roller Milling
        3. Roller Milling of Grains Other than Common Wheat
        4. Decortication or Attrition Milling

  8. Module 7: Wet Processing for Production of Maize, Wheat, and Rice Starches and Their Co-Products

     1. Instructor: TBD​
        
     2. Recorded Lesson*
     3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 9
     4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
     5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
     6. Learning Targets:
        1. TBD
        2. TBD
        3. TBD
     7. Content:
        1. Maize Starch Production Wheat Starch Production
        2. Rice Starch Production
        3. Production of Oil from Cereals

  9. Module 8: Grain Quality

     1. Instructor: Senay Simsek
     2. Recorded Lesson*
     3. Recommended Text Reading: Not Applicable
     4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
     5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
     6. Learning Targets:
        1. TBD
        2. TBD
        3. TBD
     7. Content:
        1. TBD
        2. TBD
        3. TBD

  10. Module 9: Rice and Oat Processing

      1. Instructor: Griffiths Atungulu and Maneka Malalgoda
      2. Recorded Lesson*
      3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 10
      4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
      5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
      6. Learning Targets:
         1. TBD
         2. TBD
         3. TBD
      7. Content:
         1. Rice Processing
         2. Oat Processing

  11. Module 10: Yeast-Leavened Products

      1. Instructor: Elisa Karkle
      2. Recorded Lesson*
      3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 12
      4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
      5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
      6. Learning Targets:
         1. TBD
         2. TBD
         3. TBD
      7. Content:
         1. Quality of Breadmaking Flour

  12. Module 11: Chemically Leavened Products

      1. Instructor: Elisa Karkle
      2. Recorded Lesson*
      3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 13
      4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
      5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
      6. Learning Targets:
         1. TBD
         2. TBD
         3. TBD
      7. Content:
         1. Chemical Leavening
         2. Cookie Types
         3. Cookie Flour Quality
         4. Phenomena During Cookie-Making
         5. Crackers
         6. Cakes
         7. Biscuits

  13. Module 12: Pasta and Noodles

      1. Instructor: Claudia Carter​
         
      2. Recorded Lesson*
      3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 14
      4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
      5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
      6. Learning Targets:
         1. TBD
         2. TBD
         3. TBD
      7. Content:
         1. Pasta
         2. Noodles

  14. Module 13: Breakfast Cereals

      1. Instructor: Girish Ganjyal
      2. Recorded Lesson*
      3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 15
      4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
      5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
      6. Learning Targets:
         1. TBD
         2. TBD
         3. TBD
      7. Content:
         1. Cereals that Require Cooking
         2. Ready-to-Eat Cereals

  15. Module 14: Snack Foods

      1. Instructor: Girish Ganjyal
      2. Recorded Lesson*
      3. Recommended Text Reading: Chapter 16
      4. Supplemental Materials: Slide deck pdf., additional as needed
      5. Knowledge Check/Module Quiz*
      6. Learning Targets:
         1. TBD
         2. TBD
         3. TBD
      7. Content:
         1. Maize-Based Products
         2. Wheat-Based Products