Cereal germ
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The germ of a cereal grain is the part that develops into a plant;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> it is the seed embryo.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Along with bran, germ is often a by-product of the milling<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> that produces refined grain products. Cereal grains and their components, such as wheat germ oil,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> rice bran oil, and maize bran,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> may be used as a source from which vegetable oil is extracted, or used directly as a food ingredient. The germ is retained as an integral part of whole-grain foods.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Non-whole grain methods of milling are intended to isolate the endosperm, which is ground into flour, with removal of both the husk (bran) and the germ. Removal of bran produces a flour with a white rather than a brown color and eliminates fiber. The germ is rich in polyunsaturated fats (which have a tendency to oxidize and become rancid on storage) and so germ removal improves the storage qualities of flour.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Wheat germEdit
Template:Nutritionalvalue Wheat germ or wheatgerm is a concentrated source of several essential nutrients, including vitamin E, folate (folic acid), phosphorus, thiamin, zinc, and magnesium, as well as essential fatty acids and fatty alcohols.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is a good source of fiber.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> White bread is made using flour that has had the germ and bran removed.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Wheat germ can be added to protein shakes, casseroles, muffins, pancakes, cereals, yogurt, smoothies, cookies, and other goods.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Wheat germ can become rancid if not properly stored in a refrigerator or freezer<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and away from sunlight.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Some manufacturers prevent rancidity by storing wheat germ in vacuum-sealed glass containers, or by placing an oxygen-absorbing sachet inside air-tight packaging.
Other usesEdit
In molecular biology, wheat germ extract is used to carry out cell-free in vitro translation experiments since the plant embryo contains all the macromolecular components necessary for translating mRNA into proteins but relatively low levels of its own mRNA.<ref>In Vitro Translation: The Basics, Ambion</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Wheat germ is also useful in biochemistry since it contains lectins that bind strongly to certain glycoproteins; therefore, it can be used to isolate such proteins.