Wheat vs Rice: Difference and Comparison

Wheat and Rice are the two most commonly used food grains all over the world. Rice and Wheat are used as the main sources of carbohydrates in our human body. Since ancient times they are used as our main food content.

Key Takeaways

1. Wheat contains more protein and dietary fiber than rice, making it a healthier grain option.
2. Rice is easier to digest and gluten-free, making it suitable for individuals with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
3. Wheat is predominantly grown in temperate regions, while rice thrives in tropical and subtropical areas with abundant water supply.

Wheat vs Rice

The difference between Wheat and Rice is that wheat as a grass belongs to Triticum geneus. The most common species is Triticum aestivum.

Whereas Rice belongs to the Oryza genus and in our country the most commonly used species is Oryza sativa. Also, they can be easily distinguished by their appearance also.

Wheat is mainly used to make wheat flour which is the main ingredient of bread, pasta, pizza, etc. The texture of wheat is textures and wheat can be of many types.

Wheat grain can be classified into 6 groups mainly hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, soft white, hard white, and durum.

Rice is mainly used to boil and cook rice which is the main food ingredient, especially in south-east Asian countries. Rice is mainly a thinner type.

Rice also can be classified into 3 types long-grain rice, medium-grain rice, short gain rice. It can be classified over degree of milling, rough rice, brown rice and white rice.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Wheat	Rice
Genus	Wheat belongs to Triticum genus.	Rice belongs to Oryza genus.
Appearance	Wheat grain appears in light yellow color.	Rice grain may be of brown or white in color.
Usage	Wheat is mainly used to make wheat flour which is the main ingredient of pasta, bread, pizza etc.	Rice is mainly boiled and cooked.
Taste	Wheat may be of mild taste or sometimes bitter.	Rice is mainly of mild taste, while brown rice has a different taste.
Classification	Wheat is mainly classified into 6 groups.	Rice can be classified into 3 groups mainly.
Nutrition	A hundred gms of wheat contain 330 gm calories.	A hundred gms of rice contains 130 gm calories.

What is Wheat?

Wheat is mainly a food grain used as the main food all over the world. Wheat is popular all over the world due to its versatility. Wheat is a high source of carbohydrates.

Wheat is significantly richer in nutrition, contains almost 330 calories per 100 gm. It only contains 11% of water. Wheat grain contains vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6.

Wheat also contains all principle minerals in it like iron, calcium, copper, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, zinc, etc.

Wheat also contains some essential amino acids like tryptophan, histidine. Wheat contains some fatty acids also like polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.

Wheat is mainly used to make wheat flour which is the main ingredient of bread, pasta, pizza, spaghetti etc.

Wheat can be classified into 6 groups mainly i.e hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, soft white, hard white, and durum. Also depending upon genetic traits, wheat can be classified into 3 types i.e diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid.

Einkorn is the example of the diploid type of wheat while durum, emmer, Khorasan are the example of tetraploid wheat and common wheat is the example of the hexaploidy type.

What is Rice?

Rice is mainly a food grain used as the main food especially in south-east Asian countries and African countries. Rice is a source of carbohydrates in the human body. Rice is higher in starch.

Rice is a source of folic and folate forms of vitamin B9. Rice also contains Vitamin E. Rice contains all the principal minerals which are nutritious to the human body like zinc, iron, copper, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese.

Rice contains 68% water in it. Rice contains 130 gm calories per 100 gm. It is one of the main sources of carbohydrates.

Rice also contains some type of fats like polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids. Rice also contains some essential amino acids.

Rice can be classified into 2types. It is classified into 3types by its kernel size long-grain rice, medium-grain rice, and short-grain rice.

Depending on milling type it is classified into 3 types like rough rice, brown rice and white rice. Rice is good for low calorie, low carb and low-fat diets.

Main Differences Between Wheat and Rice

1. The origin of both the food grains seems to be different. Wheat grain as a grass belongs to the Triticum genus. Most commonly used species is Triticum aestivum. While Rice is a food grain that belongs to an Oryza genus and the most commonly used species is Oryza Sativa.
2. Wheat and Rice grains can also be distinguished easily by their appearance. Wheat mainly looks like yellow in colour and slightly oblong in shapes. While Rice grains are mainly OF white and brown in color and round or long shape.
3. Both Wheat and Rice are huge sources of nutrition which is used as main food ingredient all over the world. Though wheat is slightly richer in nutrition in comparison to rice, wheat contains 11% of water in it and thrice more calories in it than a rice grain. Wheat contains 4 times more protein than rice.
4. Both Rice and wheat are mainly of many types and varieties. But depending upon kernel size and milling quality rice can be of 3 types mainly while wheat can be of mainly 6 types.
5. Wheat and Rice are used as main ingredients of carbohydrates and calories. Both are high-caloric foods. Rice is mainly boiled and cooked. While wheat is used to make wheat flour which is used to make bread, pasta, pizza, Serengeti, noodles etc.

References

1. https://academic.oup.com/aob/article-abstract/64/1/59/142235
2. https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt0394-276