What is the difference between cereals and pulses?
Many people are looking forward to maintaining a healthy diet. Cereals and pulses are some of the chief produce that enables people to attain a healthy diet. Cereals are highly produced in China and pulses in India.
The discussion provides the core difference between cereals and pulses with a comparison table. The main aim of the comparison is to show the importance of cereals and pulses in the diet of human beings.
What Are Cereals?
Cereals are a type of grains rich in carbohydrate and they belong to the monocot family due to the grass characteristics. Some common examples of cereals are rice, wheat, barley, oats, corn, rye, and sorghum.
These grains are the staple food for many countries though they lack vital ingredients such as proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Cereals can be consumed by human beings and livestock as feeds. Besides that, they are used in the production of oil, alcohol, glucose, adhesives, and biofuels among many other products.
What Are Pulses?
Pulses are the type of grains rich in proteins and they are mainly found in leguminous crops. These grains are yield in small quantities. Some popular examples of pulses are dry peas, dry beans, lentils, and chickpeas.
Consumption of pulses helps to control blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol since it is rich in fiber with low-fat content. They are highly recommended by health organizations for the reduction of obesity. Besides that, they help improve soil fertility by fixing nitrogen in the soil.
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Comparison Chart: Cereals Vs Pulses
| Basic Terms | Cereals | Pulses |
| Meaning | Grains rich in carbohydrate and they mainly used for breakfast | Grains rich in proteins and they are obtained from leguminous crops |
| Scientific Classification | Order Poales and Family Poaceae. | Order Fabales and Family Fabaceae |
| Production | Larger quantities | Fewer quantities |
| Staple Diet | Most of the developing countries | Tend to be incorporated into the staple diet |
| Morphology | Consists of a hard and non-edible husk. Grains are attached to a stalk |
Grains are found within a pod |
| Carbohydrate and Energy Content | More | Less |
| Starch Characteristics | Digestibility of starch is higher | Digestibility of starch is lower |
| Amylose Content | Lower | Higher |
| Protein Content | Less | More |
| Amino Acid Lysine Content | Deficient | Sufficient |
| Amino Acid Methionine Content | Sufficient | Deficient |
| Nitrogen Fixing Ability | Do have the ability to fix nitrogen in the soil | Have the ability to fix nitrogen in the soil |
| Uses | Human consumption, food products processing, biogas and biofuel production | Human consumption, forage crops for domesticated animals and for crop rotation due to their ability to fix nitrogen. |
| Examples | Rice, wheat, barley, oats, corn, rye, and sorghum. | Dry peas, dry beans, lentils, and chickpeas. |
Core Difference between Cereals and Pulses
- Cereals are rich in carbohydrates while pulses are rich in proteins
- Cereals are grown in larger quantities when compared to pulses
- Pulses occur in pods while cereals occur in a hard and non-edible husk
- Pulse plants have the ability to fix nitrogen into the soil unlike cereal plants
- Cereals are rich in amino acid methionine as compared to pulses
- Pulses are rich in amino acid lysine unlike pulses
- Starch present in cereals are highly digested and hydrolyzed unlike those in pulses
- Cereals are a staple food for many developing countries while pulses are incorporated in the staple diet
- Cereals are produced in large quantities whereas pulses are produced in smaller quantities
- Examples of cereals are rice, wheat, barley, oats, and corn while pulses are dry peas, dry beans, lentil, and chickpeas
Read More: Difference between Macro Nutrients and Micro Nutrients
Comparison Video
Summary
The core difference between cereals and pulses is that cereals are rich in carbohydrates and they staple food for developing countries whereas pulses are rich in proteins and they are incorporated in the staple diet.