Rye Berries vs. Wheat Berries – What’s The Difference?

Most of us have visited the supermarket, looked at various kinds of bread at the bread aisle, and wondered what the difference between all of these bread is, why people prefer one over the other, and what ingredients are used to make each one. The most famous variety of bread is made using wheat, and it can be whole grain wheat or processed wheat. Another type of bread that you might have seen is rye bread, which is made using rye.

Rye and Wheat might arguably be the most frequently used whole grains in the world today. These crops are considered grass crops; these are cultivated for their seeds (known as cereal grains). In scientific terms, both Rye and Wheat come from the same tribe (Triticeae) and the same family (Poaceae) but have different genus. Rye is from the genus Secale, while wheat belongs to the Triticum genus.

There are many different wheat varieties within the Triticum genus, but the most commonly consumed type is Triticum Aestivum, which is called common wheat in layman’s terms. Barley is another grass crop that shares the Triticeae tribe with Rye and Wheat. But today, our topic of discussion is Rye berries and Wheatberries. Keep on reading to find out all you need to know about them.

Rye Berries

Rye berries belong to the group of grains that remain unchanged and untouched by science, at least to some degree; They are considered ancient grains that were discovered and used thousands of years ago. And because they remain unchanged by genetic modification, selective breeding, and cross-breeding, Rye Berries have retained a more complex and differentiated set of nutrients. On the other hand, wheat has a simpler and less diversified nutrient profile.

This means that wheat has fewer types of nutrients in simpler forms (more on that later). If you are thinking of growing Rye Berries on your farm or at your home, then it is best to keep in mind that they don’t have a significantly high yield due to the fact that they are not modernized by gene manipulation and different ways of breeding. But before you get discouraged, let’s talk about the perks they have so you can make an informed decision.

The first thing that’s incredible about this grass crop is its resilience to cold weather. Rye can grow in cold weather pretty well; they can grow in weather where most other grains would die quickly. And then there is their ability to grow and survive in soil of poor quality. The soil can lose its nutrients if you keep planting the same type of crop repeatedly, and there comes the point where the crop would stop growing.

But Rye has the ability to grow in these circumstances and produce a good yield. Rye berries can be bought from the market as grains or bought in crushed or powdered form as flour. Rye flour is used in various recipes, especially those involving baking.

Wheat Berries

Wheat Berry is the term we use to describe the Wheat cereal grain that has not been processed except for hulling (a process in which the outer covering of the grain, called the hull, is removed). Wheat berries have 3 constituents that make them complete; endosperm, barn, and germ. Additionally, there are several nutrients present in the grain.

The Wheat Berries that we are familiar with today were not always as they are; a lot of processing went into this crop to improve efficiency and yield. Methods such as selective breeding and cross-breeding are used to ensure that the highest yielding, resistance to pests, and resilience towards harsh weather variants of wheat are reproduced. Additionally, genetically modified Grains are being produced to increase yield and make this grass crop more resilient.

All of this is being done to meet the high demands of the increasing population. Furthermore, alterations in the natural form of wheat plants ensure that the cost of manufacturing is lowered. In its natural and unprocessed form, the Wheat grain contains the highest amount of nutrients, and the more processing we do to it, the lower its nutrient profile gets.

Nutritional Differences

Both Rye and Wheat are what we usually call nutrient-dense foods, which means that they have a lot of nutrients packed in a small amount of their bulk. The serving sizes for these grains are different, with Rye having a serving size of 169g and wheat 192g. Both of them have almost the same amount of calories, with wheat having one less calorie than rye per hundred grams.

Now, let’s talk about fats and proteins. Wheat has higher amounts of proteins and contains all the essential amino acids. The only similarity between Rye and wheat in terms of amino acids in the presence of Lysine (an essential amino acid), which is present in equal quantity in both of the cereal grains. Wheat also has higher amounts of saturated and poly, and monounsaturated fats. Both have zero cholesterol (side note: Cholesterol is absent in almost all plants, so you can consume most of the cooking oils produced from plant sources without worrying about cholesterol).

The one area in which Rye Berries are superior to Wheatberries is the number of carbohydrates. Most of the carbohydrates in these cereal grains are present in the form of fiber; this means the body has to work extra hard to digest these carbohydrates and absorb them. And by delaying the digestion of carbs, you can delay the speed at which your blood glucose rises.

So, What’s the Difference Between Rye Berries and Wheat Berries?

1. Rye is from the genus Secale, while wheat belongs to the Triticum genus.
2. The serving sizes for these grains are different, with Rye having a serving size of 169g and wheat 192g. Both of them have almost the same amount of calories, with wheat having one less calorie than rye per hundred grams.
3. Wheat has higher amounts of proteins and contains all the essential amino acids.

Sources

• foodstruct
• Foodsguy
• Statista