Similarities and differences between wheat and rye in appearance, composition and use

Dark rye and white wheat bread are products that are easily distinguished on store shelves. But raw material crops - rye and wheat - can only be distinguished from each other before processing by a professional. Let us tell you in more detail how these cereals differ and what are the features of their use.

Description of rye and wheat

Rye and wheat – plants of the Poaceae family, used in agriculture as forage crops.

Botanical description and use of rye

Rye (Secale) is a genus of herbaceous cereal plants, including about ten species. The species Rye (Secale cereale) is common as a forage crop in Russia. The word "rye" also refers to the fruits of this plant.

Signs of Rye:

• the root system is fibrous, spreading 1-2 m deep;
• the stem is not branched, hollow, erect, with 5-7 internodes, pubescent under the ears, 80-100 cm long;
• leaf blades are broad-linear, bluish in color, 15-30 cm long and 1.5-2.5 cm wide;
• inflorescence – a complex spike, solitary, sitting at the top of the stem, 5-15 cm long and 0.7-1.2 cm wide, spinous spike, awns 2-5 cm long;
• the flower has three stamens with anthers protruding from the spikelet;
• pollination – wind;
• fruit - a grain, compressed from the sides, has a deep groove, length - 5-10 mm, width - 1.5-3 mm, thickness - 1.5-3 mm, elongated or oval shape with transverse wrinkles on the surface, fruit color - from white to dark brown.

The plant comes from wild relatives from the coast of Turkey (Anatolia region).

Unlike wheat, rye is more drought-resistant and does not require soil pH, which makes it a hardier crop.

This crop is used in the food industry for the production of flour, kvass and rye bread. Rye is also used to produce starch and alcohol.

In livestock farming, fresh rye stalks are used as fodder.

In agriculture, rye and mustard are the best green manures. They suppress the growth of weeds, loosen loamy soils, and displace nematodes.

Grains, rye bran and rye stalks are included in the diet. For patients with diabetes mellitus, endocrinologists recommend replacing white wheat bread with dark rye bread, since it has less glycemic index: 55 – for rye bread, 95 – for wheat bread made from premium flour.

Botanical description and application of wheat

Wheat is a genus of herbaceous annuals, including about 20 species. In Russia, hybrids and varieties of the species Durum Wheat (Triticum durum), English Wheat (Triticum turgidum), Soft Wheat (Triticum aestivum) and Spelled Wheat (Triticum spelta) are grown.

Characteristics of the wheat genus:

• fibrous root system;
• stems are straight, bare, not branched, 30-150 cm tall;
• leaf blade linear or broadly linear, 3-15 mm wide, glabrous or hairy, rough;
• inflorescence – a complex spike, 3-15 cm long, with awns up to 18 cm;
• flowers with 3 stamens, anthers 2-4.5 mm long;
• pollination – wind;
• the fruit is a free oval or oblong grain, 5-10 mm long, covered with hairs at the top, and has a deep groove.

Wheat is native to southeastern Turkey. According to the assumption of the Russian scientist N.I. Vavilov, wheat comes from wild ancestors growing in Armenia.

In the food industry, wheat is a raw material for the production of flour, cereals, alcohol, vegetable wheat oil, bread, pasta and confectionery products. The liquor industry uses wheat to make vodka, beer, and whiskey. Protein is obtained from wheat grains - gluten (gluten), which is used as a thickener and consistency stabilizer for sausages, soft cheese, pates and desserts.

Attention! Gluten and dishes containing it are contraindicated in patients with celiac disease (the inability to break down gluten).

Wheat is a feed crop in livestock farming. Animals eat grains, haylage, straw, and fresh greens.

Unlike rye, components of wheat grain are used in traditional medicine. Wheat starch is used as a filler for tablets, ointments, powders, and also for starching bandages. Wheat germ extract is an immunomodulatory drug used to stimulate the immune system after injuries, illnesses and during the cold season. In cosmetology, this drug is used externally as a rejuvenating agent.

Spikelets of wheat are used in floristry to give floral arrangements an ethnic feel.

Differences between rye and wheat

Rye and wheat grains are obtained from plants of different genera. These plants are quite distant relatives, but despite this, at the end of the 19th century, their hybrid was obtained - Triticale (Triticosecale), characterized by increased frost resistance. Let's take a closer look at how wheat and rye differ.

Comparative analysis of the composition of rye and wheat grains

Nutritional indicators of dry wheat and rye grains are given in the table.

Wheat is a higher calorie product compared to rye. Rye contains more B vitamins and vitamin A, but less vitamins H and PP. It also contains no choline.

Rye contains comparatively more potassium, silicon, chlorine, cobalt, chromium, selenium and boron. Wheat wins in terms of calcium, sodium, sulfur, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, fluorine and zinc content.

Differences in the properties of wheat and rye

In addition to traditional medicine, wheat and its sprouts used in folk recipes to treat diseases. Rye is used in folk medicine and dietary nutrition. Let us consider in more detail what properties these cereals.

Rye bakery products have a lower glycemic index than similar products made from wheat flour, so they are consumed by patients with diabetes instead of wheat products.

Reference. Rye grains and products based on them contain gluten, like all fruits of the Poaceae family, and are therefore contraindicated in patients with gluten intolerance.

Both rye and wheat products are contraindicated in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Differences in the appearance of rye and wheat

Not only the appearance of the plants, but also the appearance of the grains of these plants is different. Even the bread that is baked from the flour of these cereal crops is different in appearance and taste: wheat is white, with a golden crust, and has a sweetish taste, and rye is dark brown, with a black crust, and has a characteristic sourness.

You can see in more detail what rye and wheat look like in the photo.

The table shows comparative external characteristics of rye and wheat.

Differences between plants become noticeable during the period of spikelet maturation. Wheat loses its awns and acquires an amber color; rye remains awned and gray-green in color.

Common characteristics of rye and wheat

Since these forage crops are botanically close, they have a number of similar characteristics, which is why they are often confused.

Similarities between rye and wheat:

• general family – Cereals;
• origin – Türkiye;
• same type of root system;
• knotty structure of the hollow stem;
• linear leaves with longitudinal veins;
• The caryopsis of both plants has a characteristic longitudinal groove.

Both plants have a beneficial effect on the health of the body and are used in folk medicine and dietary nutrition.

Conclusion

To distinguish between the two cereal crops - rye and wheat - pay attention to the appearance of the spikelets and grains. Mature rye spikelets are thin and have long awns, grayish-green. Wheat spikelets are golden in color, awnless, thick. Rye grains are oblong, gray-green in color, but there are varieties with light and dark brown grains. Wheat grains are golden, pubescent on top, oval, and have a characteristic longitudinal groove.

Wheat is used in the food industry, cooking, traditional and folk medicine. Rye products are used in folk medicine, food industry and cooking.