Cereals vs Pulses: Difference and Comparison

Humans need various minerals and nutrients to survive and remain healthy. The two important sources for providing minerals and nutrients are the grains termed cereals and pulses.

They are cultivated across the world for the needs of humans and animals. They include whole grains, oilseeds, pseudocereals, etc., having immense health benefits.

Key Takeaways

1. Cereals are grasses grown for their edible grains, while pulses are legumes grown for their edible seeds.
2. Cereals are a rich source of carbohydrates, while pulses are a rich source of protein and fibre.
3. Examples of cereals include wheat, rice, and corn, while pulses include lentils, chickpeas, and beans.

Cereals vs. Pulses

Cereals belonging to the grass family are edible grains, a rich source of proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals. Nutritious cereals are used as breakfast and staple food in many countries. Pulses are dried seeds of plants, come from Fabaceae family like lentils, chickpeas and beans full of proteins, vitamins and nutrition.

Cereals are a type of grass that belongs to the Poaceae/ Graminaceae family of the Plantae kingdom. They are termed whole grains that need refinement to remove bran from them.

Pulses are the dry grains belonging to the Leguminosae family of the Plantae kingdom. Pulses rich in protein and amino acids are also known as Annual Legumes.

Comparison Table

Parameter of Comparison	Cereals	Pulses
What are they?	Cereals are a type of grass cultivated due to their nutritional potential. Its fruit of it is botanically termed Caryopsis.	Pulses are leguminous crop that grows inside a pod with single or multiple seeds. They may contain one to twelve seeds in a pod.
Classification	Cereals belong to the Poaceae family of the Poales order of the Plantae kingdom.	Pulses belong to the Leguminosae family of the Fabales order of the Plantae kingdom.
Climate suitable for production and are grown in	Cereals can grow in any kind of climate and soil except cold areas and deserts. Cereals are produced on a large scale in America, Europe, Africa, and China.	Pulses need less moisture to grow and can survive even in dry conditions. Some pulses grow in the warm climate of summers, whereas some grow in the cold weather of winters. India is a leading producer and consumer of pulses.
Nutritional value	Cereals contain a large amount of carbohydrates, and thus, they are often termed the greatest energy supplier of humans. During the refining processes, iron, thiamine, and riboflavin are added to them. Some cereals made from whole grains may contain minerals, vitamins, and protein apart from carbohydrates.	Pulses are rich in amino acids, protein, oils, etc. Some pulses are also rich in carbohydrates.
Examples	Some examples of cereals are corn, barley, rice, wheat, maize, oats, etc.	Some examples of pulses are lentils, chickpeas, cowpeas, dry beans, etc.

What are Cereals?

Cereals are the grasses that belong to the Poaceae or Graminaceae family of the Poales order of the Plantae kingdom. They are also whole grains that need refinement to remove bran and germs.

Cereals are a rich source of carbohydrates. Therefore, they serve as energy suppliers to humans. When they are under the refinement process, minerals like iron, thiamine, and riboflavin are added to make them nutrient-rich.

Some cereals made from whole grains contain minerals, vitamins, and protein apart from carbohydrates.

Cereals can grow in any climate and soil except cold areas and deserts. Cereals are produced in America, Europe, Africa, and China on a large scale, where they are taken as a staple food.

Examples of cereals include rice, corn, wheat, barley, etc.

What are Pulses?

Pulses are the dry grains that belong to the Leguminosae family of the Fabales order of the Plantae kingdom. Pulses rich in protein and amino acids are also known as Annual Legumes.

Pulses are rich in amino acids, protein, fiber, vitamins, oils, and other minerals. They have a lower content of carbohydrates. However, some exceptions are carbohydrates rich.

Some pulses are also rich in potassium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, etc.

Pulses need less moisture to survive. Therefore, they survive easily, even in dry conditions. Some varieties of it grow in the warm climate of summer and are said to be adaptable to the summers, whereas some varieties grow in the cold weather.

India is a leading producer and consumer of pulses. Some examples of pulses include lentils, cowpeas, chickpeas, dry beans, kidney beans, pigeon beans, lupins, etc.

Main Differences Between Cereals and Pulses 

1. Cereals are grass harvested for the carbohydrates they provide, whereas pulses are leguminous plants that grow inside a pod.
2. Cereals and Pulses are the grains that belong to the Plantae kingdom.
3. Cereals are classified under the Poaceae family of Paoles order, whereas Pulses are the grains classified under the Leguminosae family of Fabales order.
4. Cereals need a good amount of moisture. Therefore, they can not survive in the dry conditions of cold regions and deserts, whereas pulses need less moisture for their cultivation, therefore, can be grown in any climate.
5. Cereals are the inhabitants of the regions where moisture is present; on the other hand, some pulses are adaptive to the warm conditions of summer, and some are adaptive to the cold conditions of winter.
6. Cereals are grown or produced on a large scale due to human needs, but pulses are not produced widely.
7. Cereals are mainly rich in carbohydrates; iron and other minerals are added to them during the refinement process. Conversely, pulses are a good source of protein and amino acids; sometimes, they contain carbohydrates and oils.
8. Some examples of cereals are rice, wheat, maize, corn, market, etc., whereas pulses are lentils, chickpeas, cowpeas, dry beans, etc.

References

1. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/BF02436061.pdf
2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=v-lo0Kwta7YC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=cereals+and+pulses&ots=PLEN7PF_12&sig=0k2XSUMNSmMS8MogYIeKmVlrBUw